


FEATHERED [BOOK 1 OF THE FEATHERED SERIES]

by BIGJUICY_69



Series: FEATHERED [HAIKYUU WING AU] [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Maximum Ride - James Patterson
Genre: Asthmatic Yamaguchi, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bird/Human Hybrids, Deep bond, Elemental Abilities, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Established Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Eventual escape, Everyone Is Gay, Feather fluff, Gay, Human Experimentation, Hunted by the government, Inspired by Maximum Ride, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Parental Instinct, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Protectiveness, Psychic Abilities, Psychological Trauma, Team Parents Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Trauma, Uncharacteristicly close characters, Very Parental Sugawara Koushi, Very parental Sawamura Daichi, Wing Grooming, Wing fluff, Yamaguchi has anxiety and panic attacks, established tsukishima kei/yamaguchi tadashi, lab experiment au, murder of crows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-03-09 12:39:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18917173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BIGJUICY_69/pseuds/BIGJUICY_69
Summary: Hinata Shouyo awakens to find that he and his friends have been abducted for classified human experimentation by the government. Terrified, he seeks comfort with  his friends. But during their stay at this Godforsaken lab, experiments are forced upon them. Many experiments, ones that begin to alter them psychologically, physically, and emotionallyOne day, Shouyo does something he never knew he could, and his friends are quick to follow in his footsteps, demonstrating miraculous traits that normal people were not able to do.The laboratory is known as The Facility, a place where minors go to either die or become weapons. With no one to turn to, they're left to suffer horrid punishments, and forever-damaging tests.Milestones are reached, and they are changed for eternity.It is then that the scientists made their breakthrough with them.Only now could the missing Karasuno students live up to their new label:The Feathered





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't exactly much yet, but I have high hopes for this one! I'm more or less a fan of Maximum Ride, and then I got this idea, and it's beautiful! I hope you like it!

Finally the sharp pangs of pain became too much, and he opened his eyes. Hinata at first assumed he was in his bed, but when his gaze landed on the bars surrounding him, his brain fell into a panic. He tried to raise his head, but there were two sharp pains in the sides of his neck, almost needle-like, that stopped him.

“Ah!” He hissed, reaching up to touch his neck. Cold metal met his fingertips, leaving him bewildered.

“W-What…?” He whispered, feeling around for a way to get the collar off. There was a metal bolt in the back that kept the restraint together, and two screws on the sides, probably the source of the small needles burrowed into his skin.

“What’s going on, where am I? What happened? K-Kageyama?” Hinata called out, head twisting in search of anything visible. But it was dark, and the bars of the cages were darker, allowing him to see them only. He forced himself to sit up, coughing into his coat sleeve and rubbing his hands together in attempt to get warm. It wasn’t very cold, but he was freezing and his body was sore. Beside him he could see bars, and across from him he could see even more. Just where was he?

He shivered and tried to peer through the bars, catching sight of a small red dot in the upper corner. He knew he felt eyes on him, and he didn’t like it, not at all. Sliding backwards, he curled up in the corner of the cage and hugged his knees.

The last thing he remembered was leaving a late practice with his friends—that meant that Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima might be here too—and they were getting ready to split up when they saw headlights, and then there was a sharp pain in his chest, and everything was starting to go dark. Tsukishima had gone down at the same time, and there had been a dart of some kind in his chest. The teen was glad he could recall at least this much, because the rest of it was a complete blur.

_‘Hinata, snap out of it!’_ The fuzzy voice of Kageyama said in his mind, and he remembered hearing that before going unconscious.

He wondered where he was. Maybe he ran away with Yamaguchi, or maybe he was… No, Hinata didn’t want to think that. He didn’t want to think that whoever took him… _hurt_ Kageyama permanently. The fear had long settled in, and he began to cry softly, hopelessly wiping at his teary eyes. He was terrified. He was cold, and lonely, and exhausted, and he didn't know what to do.

“…Hinata? Is that you…?” A voice whispered from his right.

The red head gasped and crawled toward that side of his cage.

“K-Kageyama, y-you’re here too?”

“Of course I’m here. Those bastards wouldn’t let us go anyway.” Kageyama retorted, grunting when he seemed to move closer to where Hinata was.

“Do you know where we are?” The shorter asked.

“Like I know. Ow…shit. My head’s killing me. What the hell is this around my neck?”

“I think they’re collars.”

The sudden yet familiar voice of Tsukishima filled their heads.

“They _are_ collars. What else are they supposed to be?”

Hinata jumped when he heard his sarcastic tone across from him on the other side of the pathway between them. He couldn’t deny that he was a little glad to hear his voice. He wasn’t dead, and that was something. Kageyama though, groaned.

“Of course you’re here.”

Tsukishima grunted. “Believe me, I’d rather be anywhere else, but does it look like we have a choice? We don’t even know where the hell we are, so how about we focus on that?” He snapped, and Hinata made a mental note not to piss him off.

“Tch. Whatever.”

Hinata sighed, leaning back against the cold bars of his cage. At least the two of them were here. “Tsukishima, is Yamaguchi over there?” He asked.

“Asleep.” The blonde sighed.

In Tsukishima's own cage, he laid on his side facing them, hand over one of his ears to try and muffle even their quiet volumes. The collar on his neck pressed uncomfortably tight against his throat, but the pain of the needles wasn’t anything compared to his headache. He couldn’t see a single thing, for his glasses, along with his backpack and headphones, were nowhere to be seen.

Yamaguchi was indeed beside him, laid sprawled on his side, as if thrown in carelessly. A worry coiled deep around the pit of his stomach as he realized Yamaguchi hadn’t moved since he woke, and that was before Hinata had. But seeing as he was too exhausted and heavy to move himself, he would have to deal with it.

“Do you think anyone else is here?” Hinata whispered, holding onto himself.

“Who knows. We’ve been in here for hours, I'm sure of that much.” Tsukishima replied, eyes sliding closed as he curled in on himself. A distant squeak made them open again, and the three waited as the squeaks grew more frequent. Then there was a jingling noise, and Tsukishima’s stomach began to turn as he sat up.

Hinata whimpered. “G-Guys?”

“Shh.” He silenced.

There was click, and now he was certain that it was a door. There was a short buzz before bright lights shot on from above, making him hiss and cover his eyes.

“Rise and shine, beauties. We’ve got a big day today.”  A female voice said in a chillingly cheerful tone. Footsteps filled the room, and still shielding his eyes with his hand, he squinted to see the blurry figures entering the pathway.

“W-What’s going on? Where are we?” Asked Hinata, crawling farther back into his cage. The woman stood in front of it with a grin on her face.

“Well, sweetheart, you’re in your new home! And right about now, it’s time we start with the mandatory procedures.” She then clapped her hands, and four very large men entered the walkway as well. Through the bars Hinata could see that it wasn’t a very big room, enough for around six rows of 10 cages, five on the bottoms, five on the tops.

His eyes flit over to Kageyama, who had backed up as well, then to Tsukishima, who was squinting harder than he’d ever seen someone squint before. He could see Yamaguchi too, stiff in the cage beside Tsukishima. He gasped when the scarily animalistic face of one of the large men appeared in front of the bars.

“Yeesh, get a look at that hair. Real color?” He asked to the woman, who looked at Hinata.

“That’s what the file says. Let’s hurry it up, shall we? I don't want to be in here all day.”

The man grunted and gripped the bars, and lifted the cage with ease, before tossing it onto the cart, causing Hinata’s head to smack against one of the bars so hard he thought he cracked his skull. “Agh!” He hissed, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his head.

“Hey, careful! They’re still fragile, you idiot!” The woman scolded, kneeling beside Hinata’s cage.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll make sure there’s no bruise.” Hinata could feel tears build up in his eyes again, and he turned away from her. Kageyama growled and kicked at the man’s fingers when he grabbed the bars of his cage, which ended in him getting tossed onto the cart too. Then Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi was to be last.

The freckled boy shifted when the lady knocked her clipboard on the bars, and when he looked up, he gasped and crawled backwards. “Ts-Tsukki!” He cried out.

“Calm down, I’m right here!” Tsukishima called back. In a moment, Yamaguchi was stacked on top of Kageyama’s cage.

“Perfect! Now let’s head to the cleansing room!” No one liked the sound of that.

Later...

It had been exactly what it sounded like. One by one, they were forced to strip and step into a contained square room, where they were thoroughly sprayed with a cold disinfectant out of a brutally forceful hose. After, they were given white short sleeves and pants that were just slightly bigger than their respective sizes. Now, anxious and freezing, they awaited the arrival of a man who would supposedly inform them of everything that was going on. Of course, none of them favored that, and would have rather been taken home instead.

It was a small room, one of white tile, with walls of white, and one of those large mirrors on the wall left of the door. Yamaguchi, who remained curled up in the corner beside Tsukishima—who came and sat with him a while ago—couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He didn’t know how he knew, but there was definitely someone staring back,  _multiple_ people staring back. His empty stomach turned, and he wasn’t hungry anymore. He was too focused on the glass; perhaps he knew because of the movies he’d seen, or maybe because he could feel their anxious stares.

“Staring at it isn’t going to make it go away.” He side glanced at Tsukishima, who leaned on the wall, eyes closed.

“How do you know I was… Never mind. I think someone’s watching us, Tsukki.” The blonde nodded, and that just made him feel worse. But he knew he was right, so he averted his gaze to Hinata, was sat underneath the glass so he couldn’t be seen—which was a good idea, only Yamaguchi was too afraid to move at all.

The ginger’s fingers were curled into his hair, pulling and letting go, and pulling and letting go, in a constant pattern that almost made Yamaguchi's spine tingle for…some reason.

"Okay, I got it. Maybe they’re actually nice people who somehow knew we were super sweaty from practice, picked us up to give us showers, and now our parents are coming to pick us up?” Hinata guessed, looking up at the others. However, receiving irritated looks from both Kageyama and Tsukishima made him sigh. “If only…” He muttered, and sighed, letting his body sink down to the floor.

The collar wasn’t cold anymore, and the neck stinging went away a while ago, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still foreign and uncomfortable.

“What do you think the collars are for? And the numbers on them, what do you think they mean? Hey Kageyama, what are my numbers?” He asked, and Kageyama, who sat on the wall opposite the door(to Hinata’s left and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s right) and had his face buried in his knees, didn’t respond.

Hinata huffed and stood up to face the mirror, before he banged his fist on it. “Hey! Let us out of here! We wanna go home!” He said.

“Idiot, don’t talk to them!” Kageyama hissed, and Hinata let out a long drawn out groan, flopping down again. Just then, there was a beep, and the doorknob twisted.

On instinct, Yamaguchi curled his body closer to Tsukishima, who sat up straight, curling farther into the corner. Hinata crawled toward the corner closest to Kageyama’s wall, and Kageyama didn’t move, only stared. A man walked in, followed by one of those large men from earlier. Another was visible standing on the other side of the door as it closed. The large man blocked the only exit, and the man in the lab coat settled in front of the table.

“Good morning, boys.”

Yamaguchi tried not to tremble, but he wasn’t faring very well when the man’s eyes rolled over all of them so calmly.

“That’s alright. You don’t have to speak for now. My name is Katsumata, and I run the facility we’re in now. Tell me, do you have any memory at all of this room?” His voice was smooth and chillingly calm, and his hair was dark brown and too neat, and his lab coat eerily white.

The teens seemed confused by that question, and he grinned. “Of course not. That also means you don’t know why you’re here. Come, sit. We’ll be chatting for a while before your tests begin.”

Katsumata gestured for them to come to the table, but apprehension got the best of them, and they didn’t move. The man, sitting on one end of the table, sighed and pulled out a small remote with a good five buttons on it, and a dial at the top.

“See, this is why we have these.” He said to the muscled creature blocking the door.

Katsumata fiddled with the dial for a moment, before pressing a button. The teens jumped when they felt a shock buzz through them for a split second, and with eyes wide, they hurried to the seats at the table, Yamaguchi pulling Tsukishima along so the blonde didn't smack his abdomen right into it.

“Wonderful. Now, I’m sure you want an explanation, am I right?” No one replied.

“Well, let’s start with your names.”

“Our…names?” Hinata gulped, hands shaking as he still felt the invasive presence of the shock.

“Yes, your names. You aren't Hinata Shouyo, Yamaguchi Tadashi, or Tsukishima Kei or Kageyama Tobio. You never were, is what I need you to understand.” Katsumata started, nodding to the muscled man, who opened the door. In walked the cheerful woman from earlier with a stack of clipboards.

“In fact, you weren’t even meant to be. See, when you were young, very, very young, a coworker of mine, a friend, even, took it upon himself to take you from under our surveillance and place you with waiting families. Now, that wasn’t our intention. We had you conceived for a reason.”

The woman set the clipboards down and their eyes followed. Hinata didn’t know what to make of it any more than the others did. He thought is sounded bat-shit crazy, to be honest, but he wouldn’t say that.

“What do you mean? Had us conceived?” Tsukishima frowned, still squinting. The blurry figure’s gaze seemed to settle on him, and he didn’t know where else to look. Katsumata’s eyes looked like two dark holes, and it sent chills down his spine.

“I mean, we took four women who didn’t want their children, and we took them off their hands. Have a look.”

Katsumata’s figure reached out toward his face, and on instinct he leaned back, only to stop when he realized that his glasses were being returned to him. Finally he wouldn’t have to squint, which was worsening his headache, and now he was gazing into the eyes of the scientist, who had an unsettling smile on his face.

“I apologize for not giving them back earlier. Now, have a look at your file.” Tsukishima looked down, and there was a manila folder with a white tab. On the tab there were small letters and numbers, just large enough for him to read without getting closer:

** SUBJECT W11-1159 **

On the cover in bold deep red, _**THE**_ ** _WINGED PROJECT_** _._

He looked back up with furrowed eyebrows.

“The…Winged Project?”


	2. Chapter 2

**_“SUBJECT W12, step into the water.”_** Said the voice over the intercom that hung just above the glass mirror over the water in this blue-tinted room of white. Yamaguchi was shivering and chattering, but that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that the tiles underneath his bare feet felt like ice and his feet were numb, and it didn’t matter that he could see his breath, or that he was already soaking wet from the last test. That water in that small pool a little bigger than he was, he knew it was freezing. He knew that if he stepped into it, he wouldn’t be able to take it, and he would never see any of his friends again. A lasting shock rumbled through him, and he screamed, falling to his knees, stiff until it stopped.

**_“Now, W12.”_ **

He whimpered and forced himself to stand on weak legs, and he willed himself on to take a step toward the pool in the center of the room. Stepping up, he leaned over and gazed into it. Not a lick of steam misted off of it, and to his knowledge, that meant that it was _cold._ It was dark, the deepest blue he’d ever seen water look. He didn’t care to know how deep it was, though. He wanted to run out of those doors that locked behind him, and back to his cell, and cry.

**_“Now step in, take a deep breath.”_ **

Too cold to release any tears, he glanced up at the blue lights, and back down to the water. _‘Maybe it’s just the light’s that make it so dark. I hope Tsukki’s doing okay in his test.’_ His thoughts tried to reassure him as he extended a foot to test the water. Yep. As cold as he was. Gulping, he lowered into it and sighed a bit when he felt floor about four feet in. “Okay… Okay, okay, o-okay.” He shuddered, stepping cautiously into the pool. He could barely take in any breaths when he was standing in the center, water past his waist. Clutching his body was no longer helping him, but it was definitely something. He wished to clutch Tsukishima, or even Hinata or Kageyama right now, anyone who could share their warmth. His gaze traveled up to the mirror, and the intercom came back on.

**_“Take a deep breath, and don’t try to breathe if you don’t want to drown.”_ **

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and he gasped. “N-No, I-I already c-can’t breathe, please-” In a second, the floor went out from under him and he was left to take only half of a panicked breath before he was submerged in the ice cold water. It was painful, all over his body felt like billions of pins and needles, and his lungs felt like they were constricting with every rapid beat of his heart. He didn’t have much air saved at all, and he wouldn’t dare open his eyes for the cold to abuse them too. That would be agony, he already knew. It was quiet down here, and he couldn’t let go of himself to try and reach the air. Kageyama told him about this test. He’d said, “Don’t even try to swim, it’ll be too cold. Just wait for them to drain all of the water out.” His thoughts drifted back to three days ago, when they were given the rundown of why they were here. Apparently, they were lost experiments if that made any sense. He didn’t get it, how could people be experiments? Well, he knew now. After they got to look through their files—he was **_SUBJECT W12-201411989_** —they were tattooed with the first parts of their subject numbers. That reminded him that the damned _W12_ on his right wrist was hurting like a bitch right now. It had only been a few days since he got it, after all. Of course his would still hurt while everyone else’s didn’t. Katsumata said it was because he’d been sensitive since birth, and that if they hadn’t been removed from the facility at seven months old, they would have done it when he turned two. After the tattoos, they were sat in chairs and had their hair cut short. Not buzzcuts, for their hair still covered their heads, but just…too short. Poor Hinata cried through the whole thing, and his own neck felt cold all the time. He’d asked why, but Katsumata said it was so that other experiments couldn’t grab their hair. Lucky Tsukishima only had his trimmed, courtesy of him always keeping it short.

Yamaguchi subconsciously squeezed his arms and pulled his legs up as his insides started to feel hot and tight. _‘Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!’_

_“You won’t be alone for very long.”_

That’s what Katsumata told them. He didn’t understand what that meant, but he didn’t like it. He’d wondered lately, how was the team doing? How was his family doing? His family…well, they weren’t his family, right? He was adopted. Who was the person who rescued them? Numerous thoughts raced through his mind as pressure filled his head, trying to distract him from the pain of suffocation. As if a gift from some sort of God, he heard a deep draining noise. He let the air out of his mouth on accident, and that made it worse, but he only had to wait a little longer now. He let go of his arms and covered his mouth, biting his tongue to keep it shut. His eyelids felt heavy, and he felt himself sinking through the water, hopefully toward the ground. But he wouldn’t know, because he could barely stay awake now.

The white lights came on, and he opened his eyes, lying on his side. There were loud, fuzzy voices, and he could see that he was at the bottom of the water tank, which was larger than he thought, freaking enormous, actually. A door must’ve opened somewhere he couldn’t see, because he soon felt hands roaming his torso, turning him onto his back. Their eyes looked panicked, there were a few men and a few women. Suddenly his body jerked upwards after a shock, and he coughed up the water that found its way into his lungs. He hyperventilated, crawling backwards away from them until his hit a wall. No matter how hard he tried to get air, he couldn’t it just wouldn’t find him. He wheezed and held his chest, where there was an indescribable pain and an unimaginable weight. He coughed and kept trying to breathe, and finally it was clicking in his head. It was his fucking asthma. He thought that was gone! Well, apparently not.

Elsewhere, Hinata was gulping down water like it was the best thing in the world—and maybe it was when you’d been running for an hour straight with small breaks for it until they took it away completely. He dropped the third empty bottle on the floor and collapsed on the tile, a mess of sweat, heat, and cords. “Excellent, SUBJECT W10! I can’t even believe this! You’ve progressed so much since yesterday! Next time we’ll take the water for longer.” The woman in charge of his test beamed, scribbling something down on her clipboard. He turned his head away from her, reaching a tired hand up to touch his short hair. He missed it hanging in his eyes after practice, and a lot of other things about it. He missed it so much, but it was a small loss compared to what he’d already lost now. Chest heaving, he laid there while she rambled on, eyes sliding closed after he stared up at the enormous ceiling for a while. It was an unbelievably large room a little bit bigger than a football field, and for a running track, that was ridiculous to him. A sudden large hand wrapped around his wrist and yanked him to his feet, pulling him out of the track room and down the hall. By routine, group blood samples were to be taken after each of their tests. See, their tests were one session entirely, with four sections in each. This is why the tests lasted for most of the morning. There was the agility track, the one he finished, withstanding the cold and water discipline which was the one that Yamaguchi probably just did, then there was the maze route probably where Tsukishima was, and heat withstanding where Kageyama was. Every hour, they switched until they’d each done every single test, taking blood samples every time before the next switch.

Finally, they were done for the day. He assumed the rest of the experiments were asleep by now, but they were _so_ special that they got to be poked and prodded for two extra hours! Yay! They came to the double doors and entered, and he was shoved toward the center of the room, where there were numerous chairs scattered about. Yamaguchi sat in one, clutching a red inhaler in one hand and other in a fist on his lap. He didn’t even seem to see Tsukishima knelt at his feet, trying to talk to him. He had band-aids on his hands from picking at the calluses, something they all did from time to time. He himself had a bandage over his right palm. The door shut behind him and he ran over. “Yamaguchi, are you okay?” Yamaguchi didn’t respond. “He had an asthma attack, and he’s still in shock.” Tsukishima said flatly, taking Yamaguchi’s hands in his own and trying to warm them up. Poor Yamaguchi looked pale and blue at the same time. He trembled, too, and that made Hinata’s blood boil. Yamaguchi had told him about how he had asthma as a kid. He didn’t deserve this, none of them did. But him the most. He clenched his fists and started walking over to the glass, where he was now certain there was someone standing there. “Is this fun to you, you bastards?!” He shouted, slamming his fists on it. “Hinata, don’t.” But he didn’t hear him, and kept going. “Why us, huh?! Why are you even doing this?! You’re not even going to help him?! You wanna look at something, look at what you did!” He banged his fist on it again, too far gone in his rage—which was a real surprise to even himself—to even hear the door beeping open again. “W10, stop that right now!”

He slammed his fist on it one more time before there were arms around him, restraining him long enough for Katsumata to get move and get the doorway empty. “Hey, where are you taking him?” Kageyama stepped forward, but Katsumata pulled him back. “Sit.” He said with cold eyes, and though Kageyama wanted to go after his friend, he obeyed. Meanwhile down the hall, Hinata was being dragged to a place he had no idea existed. “Let go of me! Kageyama!” Hinata screamed, thrashing about in the man’s arms. “Stop struggling, you’re only making this worse on yourself!” The man said, stopping at the door so Katsumata could scan his badge and open it. It was a small 7x7 room full of padding, and it was dark, pitch black inside. Hinata kicked and tried to get away, but to know avail. He was thrown into the soft room and the door shut behind him. He beat his fists on the padding, screaming at the top of his lungs now. “LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF HERE! WE DON’T DESERVE THIS!”

That night, the remaining teens were led back to their shared room, all questions ignored. The room they slept in wasn’t too far from the cafeteria, and from what they understood, most of the experiments got cages with padded floors, not blankets. Why they received an actual room, they would never know, nor did they want to ask. Anything to be out of those cages. Tsukishima helped Yamaguchi into  their corner and kept him in a tight, warm embrace, even though he still trembled. It made him cold, but he still wouldn’t let go if it meant that Yamaguchi would be any colder. “I’m sorry.” He whispered to him gently caressing his head. “Is this helping?” He asked, and sighed when Yamaguchi nodded against his chest. They had a blanket draped over them, luckily, and that helped. Kageyama, who was wrapped up in one in the adjacent corner, had his eyes wide open, sleep just too far away to reach. Something was off, though. He turned onto his back and squinted at the upper corner where the soft walls met. There were no lights in the room, so…

Why could he still see?


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh, tell me you didn’t think we’d never find you, W1.” Katsumata said with that damned grin on his face. Said male didn’t respond, eyes cold and teeming with resentment. Katsumata sighed. “Would you prefer that I call you Daichi instead? I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, so you need to get used to being called your name.”

Daichi still didn’t respond, clenching his right fist as another white coat bandaged his upper arm. There was a gauss square on his cheek and a cut over his left eyebrow, and even though he felt the pain of each one, he didn’t feel it at the same time. He held Katsumata’s gaze as if somehow trying to make him feel the inhuman rage that was coursing through his very soul.

“You know, you wouldn’t be in pain if you had just come peacefully.” Katsumata said, eyes scrolling through the file labeled, **_SUBJECT W1-419389_**.

“Peacefully?! Your people broke into my house and attacked me in the middle of the night!” “Hush, child. It’s over now.” Daichi, whose body still felt violated from the cleansing spray, growled, and tried not to flip the entire table.  
“It’s not over! I’m not your guinea pig anymore, Katsumata, and I’m not going to let you use me like this! You ruined my fucking life, you know that?!”  
Katsumata glanced back to him.  
“Quite the contrary, I gave your life meaning. Without me, without your time here, you would just be another ordinary human living an ordinary life, just to die someday. That, my boy, is not what I wanted for you. And it shows, doesn’t it? I made you into something worthwhile.”

Daichi knew what he was talking about. He knew that he was referring to the things he could do, the things he had done, the _thing_ that he was. “I didn’t ask you to. You did what you wanted with me, so what more do you want?!” He bashed his fist on the table, only hard enough to create a visible dent underneath. Katsumata gave a smirk that meant, ‘ _See what I mean?’  
_“You think you’re the only one that I’ve got here? W2 and W3 are here, too.” Daichi’s eyes widened. “No…”

“Yes. Your dear first and second years, where do you think they went?” Daichi’s body felt frozen, stuck to the chair. “I’ve got big plans for all of you. You’re all going to be part of something fantastic. That’s why I’ve brought you back. Because you see, W1, I’m not finished with you yet, and I never was.”  
Hands took Daichi by the shoulders, and he didn’t even fight as he was guided toward the door, eyes forever locked onto that man.

“You were just the beginning.”

**[The Nest]**

Yamaguchi flinched at the familiar sound of the beep, curling in on himself closer to Tsukishima, who was motionless from sleep. The door slid open and there were a few thuds on the padded floor, startling him, before the door closed and locked with another beep.

“Are you okay?” Wait, he knew that voice.

“Yeah, I-I think so. Maybe.” He knew that one too.

Daichi sighed, rubbing a hand over his short hair in loss. “We should’ve been more careful.” He said, but Suga shook his head. “We thought we were safe. How were we supposed to know that it was them all along?”

“Come on, Suga. The four of them disappear and then Nishinoya and Tanaka two days later? We should’ve figured it out sooner.”  
Suga sighed, fiddling with his own hair and with the blanket in his lap. “Do you think they’re okay?” He asked, not sure if he even believed it. Daichi didn’t respond. "Daichi?" “Hang on.” Daichi took a slow deep inhale, and squinted in the dark. “I smell them.”

Now that he mentioned it, Suga did, too. Well, just faint whiffs of their sweat, familiar scents he’d picked up from practicing with them every day. Unable to keep still any longer, Yamaguchi sat up, and could feel their gazes on him. Tsukishima shifted beside him. “What is it?” He asked, and before Yamaguchi could answer, two voices cut him off.

“Tsukishima?!”

The blonde sat up, looking in the direction of the door. “What…?”He muttered, and he heard shuffling, before a hand placed itself on his shoulder. “I can’t believe it. You’re all really here.”  
Tsukishima didn’t move, only sat in disbelief. For once, he didn’t hate the feeling of being embraced.

The Next Morning...

Hinata lifted his head when he heard the beep of the door. Unable to squeeze his curled-up form into the corner any further, he stayed put. Light flooded the room and he shielded his face, prepared to be grabbed. Only he wasn’t. “I hope you’ve spent the night learning from your mistake. As much as I’d like it to be so, your punishment is not over. You need to completely learn and understand your mistake, young one. Stand up.” That was the voice of Katsumata. So he stood up. Katsumata beckoned him close, and after a few steps, Hinata started to feel the most dreadful ache in his stomach.

“I have the dial set to maximum, and if you try _anything_ , W10, you won’t like what comes next. Walk.” The man stepped aside, holding up the remote to prove that he wasn’t playing any games. Hinata gulped and crossed to the door. No one else was there, and he wondered why, not that he really cared. He was more focused on the terrifying punishment that had been mentioned.

“I-I’m sorry.” He whispered, starting to walk when Katsumata stayed behind him.

“Good. This punishment was originally a test. However, your outburst prompted me to take precautions and see to it that you don’t do that again. Make a right.”

They walked through a few different hallways, Hinata’s fear growing intensely with each turn. Soon they came to a large metal door, where Katsumata pulled his key card out of his lab coat and scanned it. Hinata did not like what he saw when he opened the door.

**[The Cafeteria]**

Suga— ** _SUBJECT W2-1115211989_** —Couldn’t lie when that uneasy feeling crept up his spine. Funny it happened now instead of last night after his shower. Maybe it was because the uneasy feeling wasn’t for him, but for someone he held dear to his heart like a younger sibling. At this moment, he sat across from Asahi— ** _SUBJECT W3-119189_** , whose eyes were dark and low, refusing to look up even once as they spoke. Daichi sat on his left, Tanaka— ** _SUBJECT W5-18252114151921115_** —and Nishinoya— ** _SUBJECT W4-252121_** sandwiching Asahi. The two had been trying to reassure the bearded teen—whose hair was devastatingly low now—even though they themselves were as fearful.

The first years—minus Hinata, **_SUBJECT W10-19815212515_** —also sat at the table, more affected by their surroundings than his or anyone else’s presence. With good reason, too, considering they were surrounded with freaks at other identical long rectangular tables with the same attacked bench seats. Kids with literal horns growing out of their heads, and scaly faces, and menacing eyes and no hair whatsoever, as well as some little ones who sent chills down their spines, and many more that not even ten people could name.  
All of which stared at them with caution. Certainly not from the first or second years, but from the third years, who radiated something, something that told them all to steer clear. Even with their curiosity.

“I-I don’t even remember being here. I think I’d remember a screwed up place like this.” Said Nishinoya, breaking the previous silence. Daichi, who leaned on the table rubbing one of his temples, sighed. “You were young, okay? Of course it doesn’t make sense to you now. We were made in this place for their own personal gain—who knows what the hell that’s supposed to be.” The male said.

Suga gently intercepted the conversation with the calmest eyes he could muster to ease their concerned ones.

“I know you’re scared. But we have to stay together now that we’re all here. We…we’ll try to figure something out.” He said, and Nishinoya managed a hesitant nod. Tanaka’s eyes were as dark as Asahi’s, and he picked at the white sleeve around his wrist. “My parents aren’t even my parents.” His voice wavered, and Suga reached across the table.

“Tanaka-” “My sister’s not even my _sister_. It was a fucking a lie. My life was a lie the whole time.” The male’s hands trembled, and it was a shock to see one of their strongest break right there in front of them.  
Even then, Suga watched Kageyama, **_SUBJECT W9-20152915_** —his face lay flat on the table in hopelessness—and his shoulders start to flinch as he no doubt started to cry. Suga felt it all.

He felt Yamaguchi’s numbness.

Tsukishima’s stifled anxiety and concern for the one person he cared for so much that he buried his own suffering.

Asahi’s dread as he could barely recall the events of the distant past.

Nishinoya’s dread.

Tanaka’s agony.

Kageyama’s despair.

Daichi’s stress.

Their shared feeling of unbearable loss.

It hung in the air he breathed like a sickening miasma, but God, he’d felt so much worse. His gaze shifted from Tanaka to Asahi who sniffled with a reddened nose because he couldn’t cry anymore after that was how he spent most of the night and morning. When Daichi went to comfort Tanaka, the silver-haired male took the opportunity to walk around and kneel beside Kageyama.  
“Kageyama, can you look at me?” Kageyama didn’t look at him, so he leaned closer and lifted his head from the cold metal of the table. As soon as he touched him, he nearly burst into tears, because it was too much.

No matter how loud, stubborn, abrasive, and strong Kageyama was, it reminded Suga that he was still just a child. A child who didn’t deserve any of this, who wasn’t prepared to be torn from everything he ever knew and dropped into this horrifying place.  
Suga used his thumb to wipe the tears from his cheeks.

“Stop crying, okay? I know, believe me I know. But everything will be better soon. Do you trust me?”

Kageyama reached up and shielded his eyes with his sleeve, and nodded. Suga pulled the arm away and caressed the side of his head, satisfied when the younger closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, allowing himself to be soothed. It took much to drain some of the despair, but by putting every ounce of peace into the touch that he could, Suga managed. He took advantage of the moment, considering he expected resistance, but one thought plagued his mind.

Where was Hinata?

**[Elsewhere]**

Hinata arched his back off the table and let out a guttural eardrum-shattering shriek from the depths of his throat. By now it felt shredded, but he couldn’t focus on that. He was mostly preoccupied with the sizzling anguish flowing through his entire body. He was in only his boxers, strapped to a cold table covered in sweat, wires hooked up to his temples, chest, thighs, back, hands and feet.  
On his head was a metal crown over his forehead squeezing his skull ridiculously tight, so tight that he couldn’t even think. A metal part that clamped over his forehead kept it in place so the only place he could look was up into the dark vent where hot air blew onto his writhing body every second of every minute. Finally he collapsed on the table, panic and shaking, tears streaming out of his once vibrant eyes. Earlier he’d apologized so many times that “sorry” was like the only word he knew.

But no one responded. Now he hiccupped and struggled to breathe, clenching and unclenching his fingers into his bleeding palms. His mouth hurt, bleeding from when he bit his tongue numerous times. He didn’t even remember how long this had been going on, he was certain he was here for at least three hours—when it fact it had only been one.

“P-Please…S-Stop…St-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” He screeched, eyes rolling upward and drool leaking out of his mouth.

Behind the glass, three white coats observed—one monitoring vitals, one keeping track of electricity voltage and heat levels, and the last supervising his physical condition on the table. “I think we need to up the voltage.” Said the second. The first looked at her incredulously.

“But Dr. Katsumata didn’t authorize that. Are you trying to get fired? No.” The woman averted her gaze back to the screaming teen and frowned. The third turned to her and crossed his arms. “What reason could you possibly have to risk getting fired? I’m curious.”

The first rolled his eyes but listened.

“Its physical condition is stable, and its vitals, and why not? The purpose is to test its endurance, and its enduring too well. So it needs more. Isn’t that just common sense?” First and Third looked at each other, and First shook his head.

“Fine. If you want to get fired.” Said Third, and First turned back to the glass in his chair, having given up on trying to prevent stupidity. Second took a glance at First before she reached for the dial, and turned it almost all the way to the right.

Then she pressed the button, one of the deepest regrets she would have for the next few minutes.

When she pressed the button, Hinata’s loudest scream so far tore through the soundproof glass like it was nothing. No, literally, the entire window shattered, forcing the doctors to duck for cover as glass shards went flying at them at baffling speeds. They covered their ears, desperately trying to block out the piercing cry as it infiltrated their heads and made their ears bleed.  
Hinata’s voice shattered the glass of the door window, and barreled into the hallway, into every room, down every corridor, and eventually into the cafeteria, where the experiments dined.  
In a split second, the room erupted into an uproar, children and teens screaming and yelling, trying to shield themselves.

Light bulbs burst, bodies curled up on the floor because their legs became too weak to hold themselves when they jumped up in alarm, and voices screamed back. Daichi, whose hands were clamped tight and sadly did no justice, squinted his eyes shut as well. “That’s-That’s Hinata!” The statement wasn't exactly directed at anyone in particular, but as if on instinct, the entire group responded to it.

Later...

“I want to know, right at this **_goddamn moment_** , who the hell is responsible for this?!” Shouted Katsumata, staring at the three who he’d put in charge of the test.  
No one made eye contact with him, and he felt like he was dealing with a couple of experiments.

“Well?! I give you one job! One! This is what happens? This is an outrage! And I want to know whose fault it is!”

“I-It’s mine, sir.” The small voice of the woman said, and he backed off some, looking at her almost incredulously.

"You?"

“Yes. I was stupid, I wanted to see how much W10 could take. Please forgive me.” Katsumata was silent, eyes skimming over all three of them.

“You do realize that my experiment’s vocal cords are damaged? It’s severely unresponsive because of what you've done.”

The woman gulped and bowed her head. “I’m sorry for my mistake.”

When she stood up straight, there was a gun between her eyes courtesy of the tall man that tailed Katsumata all the time, and Katsumata was leaving.

“Good.” Was the last thing he said to her, before the gun went off, killing her right there. The two men were next, and then he was following Katsumata, leaving the cleaning to the janitors who were already cleaning up the glass the empty room where the experiment used to lie, where his blood was even on the floor.

“Sir?”

“What is it?” He was irritated, not good.

“May I ask why you had me kill the other two if she was the one who caused the accident?”

“They failed to stop her, simple as that. One bad apple spoils the bunch, as my mother used to say. On the other hand, we’ve reached a milestone with W10. A milestone that we can’t use. Understand?”

“Yes sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry you had to wait so long for the next chapter! Writer's block sucks, but don't worry, I've got you. Hope you enjoyed it! Reading your comments is was got me to actually try and write another chapter, and I like the way this came out, too. I wasn't sure if people liked this very much, and I love it when I got comments! They make me feel good and they encourage me, so I really appreciate it! Thank you so much, and keep them coming, lol. This took me about two hours because I wanted to make sure it was a good one, so I hope you liked it!  
> ~Pie


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's kind of uneventful and crappy. I hope you like it still, and sorry for the wait again!  
> Tsukkiyama is going to be the death of me, but Tsukkiyama angst hurts the most. :')  
> Also, I know it can be a bit hard to read, and I'm still working on it, trying to find a good format that fits with my writing style, if you know what I mean. It'll be better soon, I promise!~ Pie  
> Thank you all so much for reading, it makes me feel really good!

Completely exhausted was only one way it could be put. After Hinata’s accident, the rest of The Winged Project was being run into the dirt. All underwent the same treatment he received, leaving Yamaguchi unresponsive and traumatized. He was already sensitive as Katsumata said, but now his body could barely handle anything. Any major stress would send his body into painful convulsions, which usually meant he needed to be sedated for any blood tests and didn’t undergo any detrimental experimentation. Usually.

**[The Nest]**

It had been a hard month since Hinata fell into a coma. Everyone was on edge, waiting, hoping for that door to open and for them push him in like they pushed the rest of them. More often than not, it was silent. Who wanted to initiate conversation anyways? It’s not like there would be a whole-hearted reply. Nishinoya laid underneath a blanket in the center of the unfurnished room, slowly inching closer to Asahi, who laid a few feet away. It was cold, he desired the warmth almost more than freedom, which hadn’t even been a thought in quite a while. He hadn’t thought about volleyball much, to his surprise. He missed it, sure, but he couldn’t bring himself to think about all the good times he had playing it, or even his _rolling thunder_ move. Nowadays he felt it was childish. To shout something so stupid while doing something so simple, who does that?

There was a gasp, and he knew it belonged to Yamaguchi, who was waking up from what sounded like a nightmare. He usually didn’t, considering he only ever slept next to Tsukishima or he didn’t sleep at all—and the blonde was currently being tested, therefor there was no one who could completely pacify Yamaguchi’s raging unconscious mind with their mere presence. That only proved how drained they all were with the numerous tests they underwent.

“It’s alright,” He heard Suga say. “Take deep breaths.” He was right, the last thing they needed was for Yamaguchi to have an asthma attack while he needed a refill. Nishinoya didn’t want to think about Yamaguchi dying, no thanks. Then what would happen to the rest of them? To Tsukishima. He wouldn’t even be able to hide his devastation.  
It wasn’t like no one knew about them. They didn’t have to say anything, they were just obvious. Even when Tsukishima looked like he was being a dick, they knew him well enough by now to know that he was trying to hide their relationship. Nishinoya wondered why, because “everyone on the team’s gay as shit,” as Tanaka said once. But hey, it was their own business. It was funny to see Tsukishima buying _him_ hush food after he saw them kiss after practice. He smiled thinking about it, a sensation foreign to his face.

“W-Where’s Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked Suga, who sat beside him in the corner that he and Tsukishima always slept in. “They took him in for blood tests after you fell asleep. But it’s okay, he’ll be back soon. Do you want to talk about it?” Suga asked, wearing that familiar smile instead of pity, giving Yamaguchi some sort of reassurance. “Talk about what?” Suga seemed more concerned now. “Your nightmare.” “Oh.” “It’s fine if you don’t want to, but I just want to help if I can. I understand everything sucks.” Yamaguchi nodded, eyelids going narrow with despair and exhaustion as he leaned against the wall.

Suga stopped talking because he knew what was happening. Yamaguchi was falling into that trance that he was in 50% of his time in the nest. Suga knew that he wouldn’t be acknowledged or responded to, and he would only have to watch the younger suffer. So he sighed and pulled him close, allowing his head to rest on his lap. “I’m sorry.” He whispered to him.  
He wanted to take all the pain away, but right now that was no use, because for once he couldn’t handle his own. He felt weak, and he felt useless, and more than anything, he felt like he let all of them down. They were being practically tortured every single day, and God knows where they were psychologically; poor Kageyama wasn’t even speaking anymore. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t ease all of their pain at once, but if only he could, he could help them.

Tears began to slide out of his eyes, and he couldn’t stop himself then as his insides twisted tightly. He wished none of it ever happened. He wished that he’d been born under normal circumstances, he wished that he’d never been in this place, he wished that _these things_ hadn’t been grown onto his back in his mother’s womb, so detrimental to her health that she didn’t survive their C-Section procedure. It hurt walking past the room that she died in down the hall, but such was his life, he might as well get used to it. But he couldn’t. Not like this, not ever. He was so scared, for himself, and for them.

He heard about the three that Katsumata had killed for causing Hinata’s accident. Him, too, where was he? Why didn’t they just let them have him and keep him safe? That was all Suga wanted: to keep all of them safe from the harm they were constantly forced to endure.  
“I’m so sorry it’s like this, and I wish I could change it.” Asahi was the first to respond, and given the circumstances, Suga wasn’t offended. “It’s not your fault. It’s just…what happened.” “But it shouldn’t have happened! None of you deserve this!” Suga shouted, startling Yamaguchi, who came out of his trance and looked at him with those weak eyes that reminded Suga of a little fawn.

Suga cried harder after that, guilt crashing down on him all at once. “Suga-san,” He heard Kageyama’s voice. “You don’t either.” Suga finally broke down, covering his face with his hands as he sobbed. Oh how he desired Daichi’s deep voice to comfort him right now, and even those strong arms to hold him as they had done so many times. But Daichi wasn’t here, and everyone was too afraid to even move.

The moment was interrupted when the beep went off, and in came two assistants dressed in nearly the same clothing as them, only different with collared shirts, black gloves and actual shoes. They entered the room with their sights set on Yamaguchi, who tried to back up. Grief suddenly tossed out the window, Suga wrapped his arms around him protectively, and that was the first time Yamaguchi saw Asahi’s wings. The largest male was suddenly in front of them towering over the two men, appendages out and feathers ruffled in attempt to protect him.

“S-Stay back!” He said, but Yamaguchi couldn’t see anything over the large wings, skyrocketing his anxiety.

They were enormous like he, stretching all the way across the room to Kageyama, who watched in shock as well. They were pitch black and beautiful, and Yamaguchi understood the reason for the two holes that were in the backs of their shirts. “Stand down, W3, or else.” Commanded one assistant. Asahi turned and looked at Yamaguchi, eyes panicked yet somehow vigilant as he appeared to contemplate his next move. He then looked to Suga, who opened his mouth to yell. “ASAHI, WATCH OUT!” The brunette turned on his heels and a metal claw hooked into the front loop dangling from his collar, yanking him downward and allowing for another staff to jam into his chest, causing him to yell when the electricity invaded his body the rods on the end of it.

By that point the last three were on their feet, Noya leaping at one man and Kageyama throwing a punch to the jaw of the other. When the man flew down the hallway and smacked onto the ground, passers were shocked.

“Holy shit, Kageyama!” Said Tanaka with a grin. “Dude, that was—AGH!” He shouted, falling to his knees when his collar went off, along with Suga’s, Nishinoya’s, Asahi’s and Kageyama’s. A white coat stepped in with rattled eyes that scanned the room for anymore threats. “Now! Hurry up, you fools!” She commanded, and despite not being fully recovered, the assistants came in to grab Yamaguchi by his upper arms. Too weak to struggle, he yelled for Suga, who reached out in one pained attempt, before everyone was out of sight.

That familiar anxiety built up in his chest and he tried to breathe like Suga told him, which actually seemed to work to a degree, just not as much as he desired. He wasn’t supposed to be tested again until tomorrow, he knew that much. So what could they possibly want with him now? _‘It’s probably just a scan, just a scan, just a scan, just a little scan because there’s something wrong and maybe I’m dying, and then I won’t have to see this anymore. Maybe that’s it. Just a scan…’_  

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of someone he knew behind a glass. Tsukishima. Immediately he yelled out for him, but no response came. Tsukishima was in the middle of the room with something hooked onto his head covering up his eyes. There were obstacles in the room, things he couldn’t quite make out but looked painfully sharp to the touch. “TSUKKI! TSUKKI, I’M HERE!” He cried out, but he was out of reach.

They came to a door not too far from that one, and when they opened the door, he saw Daichi restrained to a chair, head limp on his shoulder. Beside him was an identical empty chair. “D-Daichi-san?” Yamaguchi whispered as they pulled him over to the empty chair. Daichi weakly lifted his head to look at him, barely able to keep it up, a nauseating sight to see. They sat Yamaguchi in the chair and quickly strapped him down before they backed up, which he could appreciate.Yamaguchi’s eyes examined Daichi as best as he could from five feet away. There were needles in his wrists—which were flipped bottoms up—connected to long plastic tubes full of what was definitely his blood, and ran toward the front of the room, where about seven white coats were grouped. They spoke incoherent words to each other with the distant paced beep of Daichi’s vitals in the background on screens behind them.  
“W-What’s going on?” He asked, struggling in the restraints.

A few seconds later, three white coats came over rolling over one of those medical poles on wheels that had a bag hooked up to it. One cleaned his right upturned wrist with an alcohol pad and he realized what was going on. He struggled more, but to no use. A moment later, they were sticking the needle into his wrist, and he was relaxing because it didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would; he’d felt so much worse, after all. The bag was full of the same red that now ran into his wrist, and he found himself looking to Daichi, whose hazy eyes tried to keep up with their every move.  
“No…No, don’t. Not…him…” His head fell to the side again. “Daichi-san, wake up! Don’t leave me here!” But Daichi didn’t hear him.

The beeps in the background rapidly increased and one of the screens turned red, causing panic among their supervisors. Yamaguchi watched in horror as Daichi began to slip away. He could care less why they were giving him his blood, Daichi was _dying_. The strongest, their leader, their _captain_ was dying. It was like slow motion seeing them all flock to him, unhooking him from the machine in the corner and pulling out the needles, taking more care with those than they did with him, grabbing him out of the chair and carrying him out of the room. Yamaguchi sat speechless. He must have stared at that door his entire time there.

**[The Nest]**

Tsukishima was the only one there, and he hugged him tighter than he probably ever had. Tsukishima didn’t hug back, which admittedly hurt his feelings until his saw that his hands and wrists were heavily bandaged—no doubt from accidentally touching those damn obstacles. Yamaguchi carefully held them in his own trembling ones, trying to find his eyes, but all he saw were two empty circles of brown. "Tsukki?"  
When he reached up, he felt the needle pains, albeit distant, still stinging. He rested his hands that were probably too warm on his cheeks that were too cold. He needed to be here for Tsukishima now, just like he had been for him more than enough times to fill three math textbooks.

So in their cold corner, he got him to lie down underneath their blanket, and he hugged his face close to his chest, running his fingers through what was left of his once thicker blonde hair.  
“Y-You don’t have to say anything, okay? Just stay right here. I’ve got you, I promise.” He said, resting his chin on top of his head. There was no response, but eventually the arm that Tsukishima wasn’t clutching to his chest, lifted and draped over his waist, too sensitive to do much else. A few seconds later, the blonde took a deep breathe, and shuddered his exhale, taking shaky breaths against Yamaguchi’s shirt as he tried not to break, which he hadn’t done since they got here over a month ago. Yamaguchi reached down to rub his back, forcing Tsukishima to unravel and cry.

Tsukishima Kei was crying. _His_ Tsukishima Kei, who was blunt and stubborn and composed, was crying.  
He tried to contain his own tears, but goddamn it, he really was the weakest. He managed a single broken “it’s okay,” and that was all he could say without becoming a mess.

**[The Closet]**

**_“W3, wake up.”_** Asahi flinched, head snapping up at the sound of the voice over the intercom. When he found he couldn’t move his arms, he looked down at himself to find what looked and definitely felt like a straightjacket. Of course that couldn’t be the end of it, his neck hurt, and he was muzzled with a black mask that covered his mouth and belted together at the back of his neck, so tight he felt a migraine coming on. He made a muffled noise and tried to move out of the restraints, to no avail. He shouted behind the muzzle, and the voice returned.  
“You thought it was a good idea to try and fight against the assistants. You’re here because you need to learn your lesson. We won’t be telling you when you’re getting out, but enjoy your time in here. Don’t worry, the others are in similar punishment for their own outbursts. Sleep well.”  
There was silence as he struggled. Suddenly a high pitched screech found his ears from the intercom, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, unable to hear himself over it.

It almost reminded him of Hinata’s scream.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The months that followed were no easier. In fact, things seemed to get worse every week. Even with new children to experiment on coming in once every two months—they’d been in here about six now—the primary focus was always on the nine of them.

**[The Nest]**

Kageyama didn’t know what to say, and would say anything if it weren’t just him and Suga in the Nest at the moment. Here he was sat with his legs crossed, letting Suga’s hands roam his back in search of the cause of his discomfort. Needless to say, it was easily found. From what Yamaguchi said so long ago about Daichi’s blood and the transfusion, it was easy to figure out what was happening. Suga’s own wings felt tingly and stiff just thinking about it.

“They’re making more.” He sighed, and Kageyama whirled around to face him. “Making more? More of what? What are they doing?” He frowned, and Suga wished the younger male wasn’t so innocently dense at times. He gently pushed his own wings out of the slits in his back until they were completely stretched out. Kageyama’s eyes widened in horror, and he reached to the back of his neck in a half-attempt to touch his back.

“They’re doing that to _me_ …? Why?”

“We’re The Winged Project, it’s what they want.”

Kageyama gulped, throat starting to feel tight with the oncoming wave of emotion hitting him. “A-Are you sure?”

Suga nodded. “I’m sure. Are you…okay, Kageyama?” Said male was silent, looking down at his lap as his mind raced with hundreds of thoughts at once. “It’s all of us then, right? The rest of us?” Suga nodded with sullen eyes. “I’m afraid so. And they’re using Daichi’s blood.” He said bitterly.

“But…why did it hurt for so long if they’re only coming out now?” The younger asked.

“I think they had to grow inside your back first before they start to grow outside. That’s what I’ve picked up anyway.”

Kageyama didn’t know how to take that.

_*_*_*_

In recent studies, the White Coats were making discovery after discovery, reaching milestone after milestone with the teens of Karasuno at a stunning rate. A slew of abilities were arising one after another, making the celebration endless for the curious adults.  
Hinata’s vocal cords appeared to be repairing themselves without interference while he was in his coma. Miraculously, right? Only Hinata could be so determined, it seemed. Just not enough to come out of the coma itself.  
Daichi had a shockingly destructive mind, demonstrated as his increased stress during an experiment broken a door in half during a test. They ended up reinforcing the Nest door just in case.

**[The Cafeteria]**

Now the group gave off a different feeling to the rest of the experiments when they walked near. Now was a good example, when they walked in a single file line, in order of number. For a while after the third years were broken down(Suga’s meltdown, Asahi’s punishment, and Daichi’s blood collection), the group just felt like a bunch of weak teens who were gonna die soon to those who watched them. The other experiments learned that this wasn’t the case after Yamaguchi’s incident(something which we will not elaborate on for now), where the rest of the group had eyes that said, “touch him, I dare you,” because the reptilian hybrids looked their way every day. On this particular day, however, there were only two supervisors in the room because everyone else was tending to something much more important, but no one knew what.

One of the reptilian hybrids, a male that was physically bigger than Yamaguchi in the muscular area, bumped into by him on accident as they walked to their table.

“Watch your ass!” He snarled, and Yamaguchi flinched, startled by the sharp yellow eyes that greeted him, and stopped walking while the others went ahead to the table.

“S-Sorry.”

The reptilian eyed him up and down with a raised eyebrow. “The fuck are you supposed to be anyway, huh?”

Yamaguchi’s thoughts flickered to the two trails of soft black feathers going down his back, and gulped trying to go past him, but the boy stepped in his way. “I-I don’t know, just let me past you, please.”

“You don’t know? Seriously? Damn, then they’ve got something planned for your spotty ass, don’t they? Sure you’re not a dalmatian?” The boy squinted at the freckles on Yamaguchi’s face, and Yamaguchi started to step back, only for him to step forward.

“If you’ve been here this long and you still don’t know, That just means you’re going to die, or you’re fucked.” The boy laughed. “You know what I mean by that, right, or do you not know that either? Freckled and still not deformed? Yeah, the big guys are gonna _love_ you. Just wait until they get their hands on you.”

Yamaguchi’s hands started to tremble as he thought about what that could have meant, but then again…  
“They’ve got pretty low standards when they’re horny.”  
It didn’t take a rocket scientist…

The guy was about to keep going when Tsukishima’s voice came from their left. “Hey.” The blonde’s eyes were bleak and frozen on them, something predatory swirling within them.

“Yeah, what? You got a problem? Why don’t you mind your damn business, blondie?”

Tsukishima’s scowl darkened. “Just go back to your table, you sorry excuse for a life.”  
The boy stopped when he heard that, and he turned to him completely. “What’d you say to me?” He went the extra mile and grabbed a hold of the blonde’s shirt, pulling their faces close together.

Panicking, Yamaguchi grabbed hold of Tsukishima’s shoulder. “Tsukki, it’s fine, just leave it. I-I wasn’t paying attention, it was my fault!” He said, but neither male heard him.

Fortunately—or maybe not— Tanaka was making his way over despite Suga and Daichi’s protests and calls to get him back to the table. He shoved the guy’s shoulder, effectively getting him to let go of Tsukishima. “Hey, what do ya think you’re doing, huh? Back off.” He glared, making “one of his faces,” as Yamaguchi called it.

“Tanaka, get back over here!” Called Daichi as he stood up at the table, but Tanaka raised a finger in the guy’s face. “Nah, this bastard thinks he can start a fights and shit with us!”

“What?!” Nishinoya chimed in.

“Yeah, I think this punk’s looking for a fight!”

“Oh, God help me.” Daichi could feel his tolerance for this bullshit lessening, and he got up to come assess the situation, Nishinoya trailing behind him as “backup.”

Tsukishima acknowledged no one else but the boy in front of him, though. Deep within his core, an indescribable rage was coiling tight around him, so tight that he was dangerously close to his breaking point. He was finally in a decent mood, too. He felt Yamaguchi trying to pull him toward the table, but to no avail. The reptile guy turned to the freckled boy and shoved him to the ground, and that was when all hell broke loose.

Tsukishima grabbed hold of his wrist and spun them, slamming him into a nearby table so hard that the sound of his head cracking against it echoed throughout the room. “W-What the fuck?!” The guy growled, holding his head while the other reptiles started making their way over.  
Tanaka cheered.

“Oh shit! Yeah, motherfucker, bitch-ass hoe, what’chu gon’ do now-” A fist slammed into his cheek, cutting him off and sending him to the ground. When he looked up, the reptile who did it stepped back in shock because as clear as day, there was no bruise and no blood, but shiny silver-gray, like someone smeared gray paint. The reptile held his hand in pain, and stepped back when Tanaka got up, revealing his metal cheekbone better in the light.

When he looked up, the reptile who did it stepped back in shock because as clear as day, there was no bruise and no blood, but shiny silver-gray, like someone smeared gray paint. The reptile held his hand in pain, and stepped back when Tanaka got up, revealing his metal cheekbone better in the light. He growled an animalistic noise unheard from a normal teenage boy, and in an instant, the metal was replacing the skin of his hands and he tackled the male, throwing brutal punches that echoed across the room.

Just that quickly a fight broke out, involving all but Yamaguchi, Suga, and Asahi, who kept Yamaguchi shielded with his wings at the table, and refused to let Suga go as Daichi ordered. Suga wasn’t complaining, for someone needed to look after Yamaguchi.

“This is bad, you guys, stop it!” Asahi said, but right as he ended that sentence, he caught sight of Tanaka going up against the wall with one of the reptiles, receiving a few claw across the face before he took the guy to the ground.

“TSUKKI!” Yamaguchi cried, reaching past Asahi’s wing and Suga’s arms when Tsukishima was slammed onto a table. Oddly, the blonde seemed unfazed by that, but the lead reptile—who started the whole thing—leaned close, jaw changing so it for that of a lizard, ready to sink its jaws into his face. Yamaguchi looked to the guards, who looked amused by the fight, and stood still, which only made him feel more helpless in the situation.

“WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?! Katsumata bellowed, walking through the door on the opposite end of the room and causing the two supervisors to scramble to action instead of betting on which group would win the fight. Kageyama, who had just torn off the guy on Tanaka, turned around just in time to see the man coming with the remote pointed at all of them. In a fit of panic, threw the guy at him with inhuman strength, knocking the remote out of his hand and sending him to the ground under the guy’s body.

“WE NEED BACKUP! THEY’RE OUT OF CONTROL!” Katsumata shouted, A few moments passed, and in the midst of the chaos, Nishinoya was flung into a table and rolled over it, landing roughly on the ground on the other side of it, where Suga was going to run after him.  
Suddenly the room went dark, and hundreds of sharp pains hit everyone’s bodies, triggering even more commotion. A few seconds later the lights came on again and the room was full of men in armor holding guns similar to rifles, as well as batons. Cracks filled the air as they beat each of the boys brutally, others shooting rubber bullets from farther behind and more coming to detain the cowering teens. Indeed it was utter chaos.

**[The Nest]**

“Bro, did you see how I tackled his ass, though? He didn’t see that coming, did he?” Rambled Tanaka, while Nishinoya rambled right along with him.

“Dude, I know, we were so awesome! But when that guy bit me and I gave him a black eye! Bro-” He raised his fists in excitement, only to hiss in pain.  
“Ah! CRAP! SHIT! FFFFF-”

Nishinoya held his heavily bandaged wrist in agony(those pain meds they gave him still needed to kick in), which now had stitches in it because of being bitten, and his eyes rolled over to Daichi, who had a half exasperated, half I-told-you-so, with underlying slight loss of will to live lingering in the expression on his face. Nishinoya didn’t know what it was about that expression, but his mind immediately said “dad”, and he fought the urge to swear. 

“-FFFFFFUUUUUDDDDGGGGEEE.”

Then, genuinely amused, despite being bandaged up and still shaking from the shock punishment, Daichi chuckled.

“Stop laughing! I can’t say it when you’re making that depressed dad face!” Said Nishinoya, crumbling to his knees and making Daichi laugh a little harder.  
Daichi had never heard that one before, but you know what?

He didn’t really mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**[The Room]**

His hand was the first thing to move.

Then he took a breath, brown eyes opening wide as he coughed, pain ripping through his throat.

His vision was blurry and he felt dizzy, seeing every light above as a fuzzy image.

He reached up with a shaky hand to remove the mask over his mouth and nose that was connected to a machine beside the bed that no doubt administered oxygen.

His sight finally came into focus, and he found he was in some sort of hospital room, a screen beside the bed showing his vitals(he recognized it as a heart monitor).

Of course there was a signature window in the wall, where he squinted and saw empty chairs, both frightening and confusing.

“H-Hello…?” He croaked, reaching up to hold his throat when it burned.

He looked up at the pole beside the bed and traced the cords to the IV in his left wrist.  Taking a deep breath, he yanked it out with a wince. He felt heavy when he forced himself to sit up, but getting out of the bed was even harder. His weak legs struggled to move, but he managed and pressed his feet to the cold linoleum floor, sending chills up his spine at the contact.

His mouth felt dry, and his eyelids droopy, and he felt lighter than he used to be. Not by too much, but noticeably. He took a single step, and tried to take another, when he fell backwards onto his rear due to an unfamiliar weight dragging his weak form down.

“Ow…W-What the…?” He whispered, reaching backwards.

He would have screamed when he felt the feathers, but he couldn’t manage it, instead gasping and turning his head to try and look. There wasn’t much to see and then he got the idea to crawl over to the window and stand, trying to see his reflection in the glass. Well that worked, and he jumped back in fear of himself.

Two feathery masses that reached his hips were growing out of his back. His better judgement told him that they were incompletely developed wings and not feathers glued to his skin as his sister’s art project that was abandoned halfway through. They didn’t even have an exact shape, definitely nothing similar to wings at first glance, but he wasn’t that stupid and could tell they were in the process of growing.

“Oh my God… Oh my God…!” He hissed, barely having a voice to begin with. It seemed that the more he tried to speak, the farther away his voice got. With a hard swallow, his teary eyes stared, horrified eyes at the appendages, but his head shot up when the white coats entered the chair room with snacks to enjoy. When they saw him, one dropped a plate, and he watched the white shards scatter soundlessly across the floor. The doctors said something to each other, moving quickly around the room, and before he knew it, the door to the room that he was in opened, revealing Katsumata, who smiled at the sight of him.

“What a happy day, you’re finally awake, W10!” The man chirped, reaching out to touch him.

 _‘Hinata,_ ’ his mind corrected, and he backed up abruptly, a bad choice because he still couldn’t balance fully, and collapsed on his ass again. He crawled backward, trying to speak, trying to yell, only for nothing to come out now.

 _‘Don’t touch me,’_ he thought, fear intensifying in the split second that he fell.

Katsumata’s smile disappeared. “Come here, W10.” He ordered. Hinata shook his head vigorously, curling up in the adjacent corner. The others were about to advance, but Katsumata held up a hand. “It’s alright, leave it. It’s been out cold for eight months and wakes up with a changed body, of course it needs to readjust. I need something else instead.”

**[The Nest]**

Nishinoya had been fiddling with Asahi’s hair when they felt it, and he pulled his fingers from the low brown hair—still not even close to its past length—to look up toward everyone else. Daichi’s head had been resting on Suga’s lap and they held their own conversation, while Tanaka was doing something that looked like turning his hands to steel and then back again, muttering curses when his fingertips were still metal. The first years were chatting among themselves, but everything came to a stop when they felt it. No words were spoken, but they all knew they felt something change. Not in themselves, but in the balance of the air even in their enclosed Nest.

“Did you guys feel that?” Asked Asahi, and Kageyama nearly cut him off. “It’s Hinata. He’s awake.”

“It’s totally not weird that we felt him wake up or whatever, right?” Asked Tanaka with a raised brow.

Daichi looked up at Suga again and shrugged. “We’ve seen _stranger things_ , haven’t we?” Suga chuckled with a raised brow.

“Did you just-” His sentence was interrupted by the familiar little beep that used to strike terror into their hearts. Now going into their eighth month at the facility, it no longer fazed them very much. It was just ‘go get your tests done without any problems, eat in the cafeteria, and sleep in the tangled ball of limbs and feathers that we sleep in every night’. It was too cold sleeping away from each other, and they found it more reassuring and comfortable to sleep close together, the six fully developed wings of the oldest boys covering them for even more warmth.

Honestly Suga loved it, not that he would say that—he personally thought it was quite sweet that in Yamaguchi’s sleep, his hand would find its way into the feathers of Tsukishima’s half-wing and rub through them. It helped him sleep, which was all Suga cared about. If he were honest, he also enjoyed covering them up with his wings, hiding them away like a protector.

A white coat stepped into the room and looked his way.

“W2, Dr. Katsumata wants to see you. Come on.” She said, and Suga didn’t have to tell Daichi to get up so he could go.

**[The Room]**

Suga had never seen the Hospital rooms before—not that he ever _wanted_ to—but he was grateful that these were the circumstances in which he was introduced to them instead of something way worse(like getting to see Hinata's body after he died in the coma). When he was led into the room, there Hinata was, shaking in the corner, back(where Suga could see his stubs of growing wings and inwardly grimaced) turned to the room, clearly aware that he couldn't guard himself any further. He was _alive_. _'It's him. It's really him! What's going on?'_ Suga's thoughts rambled. Katsumata stopped him halfway.

“I know what you’re thinking, but It's sensitive after only just waking. So, if we're going to get anything done with it, you need to calm it down. You can clearly do that well with the others. I’m not heartless.”

“You sure had me fooled.” Suga said without thinking, and the man grunted.

“You amuse me. Don’t make me regret letting you do this. You have ten minutes to get it into a relaxed state.” Then they were all leaving, sparing suspicious glances at Suga on their way out. Just a few of them gathered behind the glass in their seats, watching.  _'He's not an "it", you bastard.'_

“S-Suga-san?” A voice whispered out, and he looked back to the pale ginger in the corner, who faced him but hadn’t quite uncurled himself, observing the large wings on his back before anything else.

“Hinata!” Suga smiled and got on his knees, and Hinata started to cry, crawling to open his arms and quickly being enveloped in a hug by the older male. Suga cried too, unable to speak any words at first, just holding him close as if he would turn into dust right underneath his fingertips(Suga, now’s not the time to remember _Infinity War_ ).

“I’m so glad you’re awake. I was so worried about you.” He said softly, caressing the boy’s hair, which wasn’t nearly as short as Yamaguchi described it, in fact it was practically it's original length, maybe a little longer. Had it really been that long?

“Did they do that to you?” Hinata whispered, unable to use his voice.

Suga pulled away from the hug and wiped at his tear-streaked face. “Yeah, uh, a long time ago when I was a baby. My God, look at you, you’re… _alive_.” Hinata looked horrible, if he was honest(not that he would be). He looked so frail and thin, like he could break any second.

“Are...are they still here? Is Kageyama alive? Are they dead? Suga-san, what are they doing to me?” The ginger cried. Suga pressed his hands to his cheeks and soothed him, shushing him gently.

“No, they’re alive, everyone’s alive. Daichi, Asahi and I have been keeping them as alive as possible. But h-how are you feeling? Do you need anything?” Hinata’s eyes watered again and he lowered his head.

“My throat… It hurts more than anything I’ve ever felt before, like someone’s squeezing it or like I drank some bleach.”

Suga tried not to be alarmed by the fact that Hinata could compare the pain to drinking bleach, and instead held his face again.

“I’m so sorry. I’d make you some tea, but…well, you know.”

Hinata voicelessly chuckled, and Suga saw that as a good sign, that even in this ongoing dark period of time, Hinata could still smile. That fact alone must've added ten years to his lifespan, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“My back hurts, and I-I'm scared. I don't like it. They're giving me wings, aren't they?” Hinata panicked. Suga grinned weakly and nodded, “You definitely caught on faster than Kageyama did.”

Hinata coughed, wincing and leaning against him after. “That would be so cool if it didn’t hurt so freaking much.” Suga sighed, wrapping his arms around him again. It felt so good to do that, and it was an enormous weight off his shoulders to be able to touch him at all. He couldn't believe it'd really been eight long months since he's seen him. Eight months without his smile, or his absurd volume, and his outbursts, and familiar bright hair. Without him. “I know it does, I’m sorry. Do you remember what happened?” Suga remembered hearing his scream, one of the worst things he ever endured. Hinata nodded on his shoulder.

“I-It was really bad. I couldn’t take it anymore, and I blacked out.” Suga shook his head and looked at him again. “Hinata, you shattered glass, and everyone in the building could hear you. You made the doctors' ears bleed.” Hinata tilted his head to the side and Suga almost cried at the sight of the innocent quirk.

“I did? Woah… Cool, I think…?”

Suga once more embraced him when his arms felt too empty. “It’s been hard without you, Hinata.”

“It has?”

“Yes. Kageyama, he’s had it the worst, I think. Everyone’s suffering, but he barely talks to us anymore. When we talk about you, he gets really quiet, and won’t look at us. He’s gonna be happy to see you.”

Head resting against his shoulder, Hinata felt himself grin before it was ruined by tears leaking from his eyes again. He cried and cried, squeezing Suga’s neck in his arms, and for a moment it felt like hugging his mother, a feeling too agonizing to be deprived of any longer. Warmth enveloped him when Suga’s long wings curled around him, completely covering him from the sight of the cameras pointed at them.

Two Days Later...

**[The Nest]**

“Hinata!”

“Hinata, you’re back! I thought you were a goner, dude! Damn, they cut your hair again, too!”

Nishinoya and Tanaka swarmed Hinata as soon as the door closed. Hinata smiled widely, so happily, and would have yelped when Tanaka grabbed him up under his arms and twirled him. Next, Nishinoya enveloped the red head in a hug, which Hinata gladly returned. Daichi was next, pulling the teen against his chest in an embrace that was long overdue.

“It’s good to see you, Hinata. You really scared us there for a minute.” He sighed, pulling away to look at his face. Just as Suga had described, Hinata didn’t look very well.

“Wait, they fed you, right? Did they?” Daichi urged, and Hinata gave a small nod, opening his mouth to speak, but Nishinoya cut him off.

“No, no, no, don’t talk! We heard about your throat from Suga, so take it easy. Nod yes, shake your head no. If you talk, I might kick you!” Hinata grinned in relief and amusement, and nodded to both him and Daichi.

Next up came Yamaguchi, who looked devastatingly worse than the last time they’d seen each other.

“We’re so glad you’re back, Hinata-kun. Tsukki didn’t think you’d come back, but I kept wishing, you know? It’s been kinda dark here without you.” He grinned, but it faltered when he saw the somber expression on Hinata’s face. The red head looked him up and down, inspecting his pale skin and thin wrists, and his lankier-than-usual build. When he looked back up, he had a weak grin on his face, and he moved in to hug Yamaguchi, mindful of Tsukishima standing close by. The blonde simply gave him a soft nod of welcome and acknowledgement, and even so, Suga, who stood on Hinata’s right, was positive he was hiding his true relief for the ginger’s return.

Hinata on the other hand, was hiding his will to burst into tears. The shirt Yamaguchi wore had done no justice, for, in reality his friend _was_ much thinner than before. Still, he dealt with it and released him from the hug.

He hugged a teary-eyed Asahi(he ended up bawling when they hugged) next, and then Suga, who made a sad comment about his new hair cut.

“Kageyama-kun, you’d better get over here when I’m done.” He then said to Kageyama, who lingered awkwardly on the outskirt of the group. Hinata relaxed once more in Suga’s arms, something that never happened before the Facility, but it just goes to show how much he really needed it. Head against his shoulder once again, he nuzzled against his shirt with a smile, arms wrapped around the wings on his back(they admittedly startled him at first, he would definitely need to get used to them considering his own were growing). When Suga finally let go, his warmth lasted like a thin sheet over Hinata’s skin, and the ginger turned to Kageyama, who’d stepped up.

“Go on, Kags, we all know you want to.” Beamed Tanaka, nudging his shoulder.

Kageyama scanned Hinata’s foreign appearance, noting the feathered masses on his back, just like the ones on his. But what fazed him the most was how much  _smaller_ Hinata looked. He looked like he was a corpse brought back to life(and maybe like he should have stayed dead). Hinata’s arms were partially open, and it was when he took a step forward that Kageyama shoved him away by the center of his chest and took a step back, a surprise to everyone in the room.

“Hey, Kageyama, what the hell? We haven’t seen him in months, and you won’t even hug him? I mean, I get Tsukishima not hugging him, but come on!” Nishinoya glared, but Asahi put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t, Noya. He doesn’t have to.”

Hinata lowered his arms and looked away, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. “It’s fine.” He whispered. The air was awkwardly silent, and everyone was starting to move around again, ignoring the two of them not doing so. All except Suga, whose eyes were glued to Kageyama’s pained expression.

Kageyama clenched his fists, and with one move forward he was squeezing Hinata in his arms, practically holding him in the air, shocking everyone.

“You…” His hold trembled, and Hinata remained motionless, eyes wide.

“You fucking _dumbass_.” Kageyama said. Finally the emotions all came crashing down and Hinata’s tears broke free, forcing him to hug back, hands clashing with Kageyama's wing stubs before he settled on pressing his hands to the space between them.

“You dumbass…! Hinata, you fucking dumbass!” Kageyama cried, breaking right with him.

Daichi and Suga grinned at each other, the former intertwining their hands.

Tanaka tried to keep his cool exterior, but let’s be honest, he wasn’t exactly indestructible. “Aw come on, you guys! A chick-flick moment? Really?” He said, but he couldn’t keep in up anymore. “Fuck it! Bring it in, you bastards.” He hugged on their left, and everyone else began to join in(let it be known that Daichi pulled Tsukishima, who then only hugged Yamaguchi), briefly reminding every single one of them of their volleyball games. And as much as that hurt, they felt strong as they remain huddled in the center of the room.

In this moment, a rare moment among all others, _they were invincible._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TA-DA!!!! He's okay! I know everyone was worried about Hinata, but worry no more, the sun angel is awake!  
> I hope you guys loved this chapter! I loved writing it(and may or may not have gotten a tiny bit emotional while doing so, *cough*), because it felt good to take a break from the usual mega angst(guess that's kinda my fault for making it that way, oops, hehe). Sorry for the big gap between chapter 4 and 5 though, I will admit that I get a bit lazy, and things come up, too. But I'll try not to do that, and keep the gap five days max, if not shorter.  
> I've got some things in store for the next chapters, so I hope you stick around! *wink*  
> I will say there is more fluff than usual, but that's all I'll say.  
> As always, thank you so much for the comments, they really encourage me! I know I've said that before, but I'll say it again.  
> THANK YOU!!!!!  
> ~Pie


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to update this one really early because the wi-fi at my school's not W O R K I N G, and I don't want to update too late in the day, like after school. I hope you like this nicer chapter, and the moderately decent bit of Sugamama fluff at the end, because I can't say things are going to be as great next chapter...Don't kill me for it, things are going to get much more interesting after. I just realized this story is basically a slow burn.  
> ~Pie

Hinata hummed, a dopey grin on his face(a grin that Kageyama surely would have ridiculed him for if it weren’t just himself, Suga, and Asahi in the room) as Suga’s hands gently massaged through his smooth feathers. He laid on the left side of Suga’s lap, allowing for his wings stubs—which were just a few inches past the width of the older male’s lap—to drape over his lap, their black shade bold in the pale glow of the LED light fixture on the ceiling.

Suga’s fingers gently weaved through his feathers with experience and he couldn’t help but smile in amusement every time they twitched. He massaged the stubs carefully as not to cause any more pain than there already was.

“I take it I’m helping quite a bit?” He asked, and Hinata yawned, nodding. “A lot. Did they hurt like this when you got yours?” He asked lowly as not to strain his throat, which was still sore even a week after he was returned to the Nest.

Suga’s fingers moved to the underside as he held it up, and the limbs fluttered under his touch, drawing out laughter from both of them. “I was born with mine, remember? They only hurt during growth spurts and when I fell on them.”

“Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that.” Hinata replied, and felt like an idiot for forgetting that. “I can’t believe you could hide them in school, and how they just slide back in, and then slide out like  _fwoosh_.”

Warmth spread through Suga’s core, and he pat the ginger’s head. He had to admit, Hinata’s imaginative way of speaking was one of the things he missed the most. Hinata’s voice started to raise. “How’s flying? Is it like you’re a bird, or is it like a plane? Do you do spins and stuff? Have you ever touched a cloud?! Have you-” Hinata coughed hoarsely, jolting up and gasping for air. Suga rubbed his back and held his shoulder, sighing. “Ah, Hinata, I keep telling you to relax.”

Face contorted into a wince, Hinata nodded, holding his breath to prevent the coughs that wanted to force themselves out. Finally they were toning down, and his shoulders slumped as he swallowed and tried to gain composure.

“You’re not in top shape yet, you can’t get too loud, you know that.” Said Suga, and Hinata shrugged off his hand.

“I know. I just…got excited again. I don’t even know why, because what they’re doing to us… _this_  is bad. But I want to think it’s not the worst thing to come out of being here.” He looked to Suga with sad eyes, and Suga nodded while he continued. “I know it’s not a good thing. You believe I’m not happy about this, right?”

“I understand what you mean. Still want me to help?” Hinata shook his head and leaned against the wall behind them, sighing.

“I wish…” He swallowed. “I wish my voice wasn’t like this. It…really hurts. It’s not fair.”

Suga wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, gaze flitting to Asahi, whose eyes were sad, watching them from against the opposite wall.

“Don’t be sad, Hinata. It’ll get better.” He said(even though he himself didn't believe it), and Hinata gave a half-hearted nod as reply. Hinata wasn’t near tears, but if he tried hard enough, maybe he could cry and get rid of the gross sorrow starting to weigh him down.

But something out the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked up, gasping when there was a single purple blur darting across his vision. “W-Woah.” He leaned forward with curious eyes, and it became clear that it was-

“A-A butterfly!” He exclaimed, starting to smile. He froze when it perched on his nose. “Look, it’s a butterfly! How’d it get in here?” He beamed, smiling harder when it didn’t fly away. More blurry colors seemed to appear out of nowhere, each looking to be glowing. Beautiful, vibrant shades of red, and pink, purple, blue, and green, and more that he forgot even existed. Grief consumed by wonder, his eyes widened as they all swarmed through the air in lovely formations of twists and swirls that he didn’t know butterflies were capable of.

“Wow…” He whispered, and he could hear Suga chuckle beside him, and see his hand outstretch to catch one on his finger.

“Wow, you’ve outdone yourself with these.”

Asahi grinned, wiping the trickle of blood that leaked from his left nostril. “It’s warranted.”

Hinata’s eyes found Asahi, and he hyperactively waved his hands in excitement. “You- Asahi-san’s the one- You’re doing the- the butterflies! Oh my gosh, you’re doing the butterflies! That is  _so cool_!” He said, struggling to keep his voice down as his delight got the best of him.

Asahi nodded sincerely. “Are they making you feel better? I really didn’t want you to be sad.”

“Yeah! I-I’m literally not even sad anymore!”

Asahi smiled, and the butterflies gently flocked to Hinata.

“I’m so glad for that, then.”

The ginger outstretched his arms and they landed, covering every inch of his skin and making him laugh, a sound that warmed Asahi’s soft heart. A few landed on Suga’s head, and even he couldn’t fight the urge to laugh.

“I can’t believe this! They’re so pretty, are they really here?” Hinata said, and Asahi shook his head. “No, they’re just illusions. I'm sorry. Are you still happy?” He replied, but relaxed when Hinata nodded. “I haven’t seen butterflies in a long time. This is amazing!”

Suga looked at the tall brunette with a knowing and grateful grin, and Asahi returned it twice as strong, yet still as soft as he was.

Later...

**[The Cafeteria]**

“And then there were butterflies, they just came out of nowhere! But I had no idea Asahi-san was doing it with his  _mind_! And they flew like  _whoosh_  and-” Hinata beamed, nearly knocking his tray off the table as he waved his arms, absently trying to demonstrate the ways the butterflies flew.

“Hinata, lower your voice. We’re supposed to stay quiet.” Daichi warned, and ginger briefly pouted before looking to Asahi, who sat opposite of him. “How come you never said anything about your powers before?” He asked.

Asahi looked down, fiddling with his fingers. “I don’t really like to think about it that much. I…don’t really like doing it.”

“Why not? It’s so cool.” Said Hinata. Asahi looked back up, and brought a hand onto the table in an upright fist.

“I don’t remember too much from when we were little, but back then I could do small things.” He opened his fist and there was a ladybug on his palm. “Ladybugs, a few butterflies at a time, a duckling or two. A ball rolling across the floor going wherever I made it go. It always shocked them that it was all in my head.” He closed his fist and opened it again and it was gone.

“They said I was strong for my age, and that I was useful. Since I had no concept of dangerous things, I could only make the things I saw in the picture books in our old "nursery". Back then I only thought it was good and made me special.” Asahi’s eyes were troubled now, and he pulled his arm back.

“We heard them talking after that, and they wanted to use me to lure unsupervised toddlers away from their parents.”

Nishinoya’s eyes widened and he banged his fist on the table and rattling their trays. “Those bastards!”

Daichi shushed him, peeking over at the four guards at the door nearest to them.

Asahi panicked. “They never did! But I can’t help but wonder if they might still want to. That’s why I don’t like to do it outside of tests.” He concluded. Hinata was confused for a moment, tilting his head.

“So, why’d you do it back in the room?” Asahi looked down again. “I didn’t like seeing you sad.”

Nishinoya punched his shoulder with a grin. “Typical Asahi, always the sentimental one.” He teased, and that made Asahi smile a bit.

Later...

**[The Nest]**

Hinata sighed, lying on his back in the center of the room, which he could no longer be comfortable doing. They’d all returned a little while ago from the third Feeding Time(he still called it dinner), and now as the lights were starting to dim and shroud the Nest in darkness, he took one last look around as he heard movement.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were already cuddled up together in the corner with Yamaguchi’s nose nuzzled into the blonde’s neck partially under his head, Nishinoya laid out at their feet with his head close to the padded wall. Daichi was taking his spot between Suga and Tsukishima, and allowed his wing to drape over him and Yamaguchi, while Tanaka crawled over and collapsed halfway onto Daichi’s leg with his wing stubs practically covering the older male’s lap, and his legs overlapping Nishinoya’s.

Next to the wall was a small open spot beside Yamaguchi’s legs, and Hinata found himself making his way over and curling up in it the way he did every night, fitting perfectly between him and the padded wall. He honestly hadn’t known when he started liking to sleep in cramped spaces, but he wasn’t complaining, for he was warm and felt safe tucked between the wall and his friend. With his forehead against Yamaguchi’s shin and his eyes barely able to stay open, Hinata attempted to make a mental note of exactly where everyone was, and where he could feel them.

Farther down was Nishinoya who pretty much caged Hinata into his spot, and Kageyama was lying beside Suga, whose wings covered him generously in their warmth. Finally Asahi nuzzled up facing Nishinoya, and draped his large wing over him and up onto Tsukishima's legs a little. It may not have looked entirely like a pile yet, but through the night, that was surely what it would become. Surrounded by the body heat circulating under the blankets and lying cozy, Hinata wore a small grin as he finally drifted off to sleep.

4 Hours Later...

A heavy flap disturbed Hinata’s sleep, and his eyes blinked open in the pitch black darkness of the room.

He waited stiffly, relaxing after he could hear gentle shushes on the other side of the room. The flaps, though spaced out, never ceased, despite the voice soothing them. When Hinata slowly sat up, Kageyama’s scent hit him with another flap, but so did Suga’s.

“You should head back to sleep. He’ll be quiet soon.” He heard Suga say.

It baffled Hinata how no one else seemed to be awake as he sat still, but more-so how Suga knew he was awake. “What’s he doing?” He asked.

“Dreaming. Or maybe a nightmare to be specific. Something’s scaring him, and this is what happens.”

Curious, Hinata carefully used the wall to stand, and stepped over the sleeping bodies of the others until he was sure he was on the other side of Kageyama. Strangely, he could almost see them in the dark, or their outlines, maybe, he wasn’t sure.

“Is that supposed to happen?”

He could hear Suga’s fingers running through Kageyama’s feathers. “It’s the same as when your arms or legs move when your dreaming, so maybe it is. I thought he’d grown out of it now that you’re back. It used to get really bad, and I would have to wake him to calm him down, but when you came back, he started to sleep better. I think maybe he’s just bothered, whether you’re here or not. This place isn't kind to innocence.” Suga whispered, and sighed.

Hinata looked to where he thought Kageyama’s head might be, and his thoughts raced. “He slept bad when I wasn’t here? I thought he’d sleep better.” He joked.

Another flap of the wing stubs startled him, but he didn’t jump. Suga shushed Kageyama again, and Hinata could hear Kageyama make a noise.  _‘What was that? Is he…crying?’_  He thought.

Suga whispered soft words of peace and reassurance, the same way he had done for Hinata when he was restless for the first few nights back in the Nest. Hinata remembered falling asleep against his chest warm and safe, and wondered if Kageyama could figure out that he was safe because  _Suga was there_  and would do whatever he could to keep it that way. Suga could always fix it, it seemed. He was always right there.

“Don’t you ever get tired of helping him, Suga-san?” Suga hummed, right as Kageyama was starting to go quiet, and Hinata could hear the smile in his reply:

“I’m the only one who can, the only one who he lets close enough to touch him because he’s so defensive in his sleep. So I guess it kind of works out, doesn’t it?”

“But aren’t you sleepy?”

“Sometimes I am. But I don’t sleep through the night much anymore. Don’t tell Daichi.” Hinata nodded, but remembered to voice his agreement before he started to feel sleepy again.

“You should go back to sleep, so you’re rested for tomorrow.”

“But what about you?”

“Go on, Hinata.”

Said boy relented with a worried sigh and he crawled back over to his spot, simultaneously wondering what could possibly scare Kageyama so much that Suga would be okay with having to stay awake for him. Across the room, Suga ran his fingers over Kageyama’s hair and laid beside him, listening to his breathing finally steady. The sleeping teen turned his head toward him, subconsciously seeking out his touch and warming Suga’s heart all at once. Suga could feel Kageyama’s fear die down significantly and be replaced by peace, seeming to stay that way when Suga pulled the blanket over him and once again covered him in his wing.

“It’ll get better. I promise you.” He whispered, and rested his hand on the side of his head so he stopped searching for his hand, only after that allowing himself to relax against the padded floor.

“ _I’ll_  get better…at keeping you safe, I mean. I promise you that, Tobio.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO GET DARK, AND I'M PUTTING THIS WARNING BECAUSE NON-CON IS INVOLVED...UNDERAGE NON-CON. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THAT, STOP READING AS SOON AS IT GOES TO "[The Room]," AND THEN PICK BACK UP AT "[Hallway]."
> 
> I PROMISE AFTER THIS, IT WON'T BE AS BAD (PROBABLY)EVER AGAIN.  
> I'M SO SORRY, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. I REALLY WANT TO MOVE THIS STORY ALONG, AND I'VE GOT THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO STEM FROM THIS EVENT. FORGIVE ME.  
> ~PIE

Later...

Nishinoya frowned in his sleep, and grumbled, before his eyes slid open. He could see the bare padding of the room at first, but gasped and tried to sit up when he saw that Yamaguchi appeared to be asleep on the ceiling, and no one else was(he fact that he could see him in the dim light, meant that it was becoming morning, because that was when the light began to slowly turn on, while they dimmed to darkness at night).

But then, why weren’t his clothes hanging off his body, and the blanket too, where was it? And the light?

“HOLY SHIT!” Nishinoya exclaimed seven seconds later when he realized that HE was the one on the ceiling.

“Nishinoya, why are you yelling…?” The drowsy voice of Daichi asked.

“D-Daichi?”

Nishinoya looked to his right, and squinted when the light blared into his eyes. He could just barely see Daichi on the other side of it, and Suga too.

“What the hell’s going on?” Daichi asked, eyes focusing on Yamaguchi, who was still fast asleep curled into his spot.

Tanaka let out a fearful yell, legs trapped under Daichi’s back and stuck on his stomach.

“What the fuck, man? What the fuck?! Shit, i-is Yamaguchi doing this?”

“Yeah, no shit!” Kageyama replied.

“Yamaguchi, wake up!” Nishinoya called out. “Yama-”

“Yuu, what’re you doing?!”

“I’m waking him up, Ryuu!”

“Don’t wake him up, we might fall!”

Kageyama cut in, “I’m not staying up here! I can feel the blood rushing to my brain!”

Tsukishima groaned. “You’re on your back, you idiot.”

“Hey, Tsukishima, be nice.” Suga added.

“Well, what do we do? That kid sleeps like a rock, he probably won’t even hear us!” Panicked Tanaka, angling his head to look at Tsukishima who was almost directly above Yamaguchi.

Hinata tried to move, but was barely able to pull his hand away from the padding. “Maybe we can get the white coats?”

“Hinata?”

“Yeah, Kageyama?”

“Shut up.”

“Be nice!” Suga tried to scold, but it was no help.

“How about _you_ shut up, Kageyama! It was just an idea!”

“Kageyama, cut it out before I come over there!” Daichi ordered, but Kageyama gave a bold reply back that made Tanaka and Noya mutter “Oh shit” in unison.

“I think we’re forgetting about the task at hand.” Tsukishima muttered, but no one heard over Daichi’s irritated response to Kageyama.

Asahi nodded, “Tsukishima’s right, we should focus on getting down,” but no one listened to him either, and he sighed.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and looked back down to Yamaguchi, deciding that he needed to take it upon himself to fix this. He knew better than anyone how deep of a sleeper Yamaguchi was, but only he knew that it was worse when he was at peace, which Yamaguchi had been for most of the day, considering the fact that he’d made progress in his tests and pleased Katsumata. It angered the blonde that Yamaguchi—or any of them for that matter—had to please the doctors, but what could you do?

Narrowing his gaze, he began to drown out the voices of the others until their voices were nothing short of underwater-like muffled noise.  
Now he was closing his eyes, warmth spreading from his core to his entire body as he felt every feeling that he knew was Yamaguchi. He didn’t know how he did it, but suddenly he could hear nothing.

His body relaxed almost completely paralyzed, but that was the least of the surprises that came at him.

“Tsukki?”

Yamaguchi’s voice echoed, and the blonde’s eyes opened. He was surrounded by intense bright light, only it didn’t hurt to look into it, a marvel among many.

The feeling of paralysis faded away as he was now standing, and the area was bright, devoid of the previous voices, save for the steady beep of a heart monitor, and distant voices that were definitely those of doctors. The light was dying down, and things were coming into focus, finally. There was a bed, and in that bed was a woman who looked nearly identical to Yamaguchi. Gathered around were about four doctors, two working under a sheet, while the others observed.

“What’re you doing here?” To his left was Yamaguchi, who looked surprised to see him.

“I don’t really know.”

Yamaguchi looked back to the bed, a small sad grin gracing his face.

“So you can go into dreams or something? That’s pretty cool. Better than what I can do.”

Tsukishima stepped closer and took his hand. He didn’t know for sure if that analysis was correct, but he’d figure it out later.

“Isn’t she beautiful, Tsukki? She’s me, I think. She’s where I came from, and she doesn’t even know what’s about to happen. She doesn’t know they’re gonna take me. C-Can you believe that?”

Yamaguchi’s tears escaped, and Tsukishima turned his face so he didn’t look anymore. He shook his head.

“I need you to wake up from this. The rest of us are stuck up on the ceiling back in the nest. You somehow managed to do that in your sleep.” He said, wiping Yamaguchi’s tears with his thumb.

The freckled boy’s eyes widened. “Th-The ceiling? Did I really do that? I…I didn’t know I could do that. I can barely lift eight pounds, how can I do that?”  
Tsukishima cradled his face, about to speak when the wailing of a newborn hit the air and Yamaguchi flinched and clamped his hands over his ears in distress. It was loud wailing, enough to even unsettle himself, and he pulled Yamaguchi into his arms.

“It doesn’t matter right now. Wake up. You shouldn’t be seeing this.”

“It’s not my fault, they showed me! You remember what happened!” Tsukishima pulled away and looked into his eyes with his sincere ones, listening.

“I can’t do it, Tsukki! I can’t do it, but I don’t want to stay here! I don’t want to stay here! I can’t take it!” Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he was talking about the Facility or the dream, but either way, he wanted to help him.

“Tadashi, look at me.” He did, and Tsukishima pressed their foreheads together, before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips for a moment. “Follow my voice and you’ll be okay.” He said, and suddenly it was dark.

“Don’t leave me!” Yamaguchi cried out, catching his hand before Tsukishima couldn’t feel it anymore. His head felt hot, and so did his face, but not in the familiar ways they did when he kissed Yamaguchi. This was different.

“”FUCK!” Tanaka yelled, mixed with the shouts and curses of the others when they all went crashing down onto the floor, which hadn’t been as bad as they thought, but damn it if it didn’t still hurt like a bitch when they fell on each other. Only, Tsukishima hadn’t fallen yet, even though Yamaguchi’s eyes were wide open. In fact, Tsukishima’s eyes were barely open.

Blood leaked from both of their noses, but Tsukishima’s dripped onto the floor. Yamaguchi sat up without a care about his own blood, and Tsukishima slowly, carefully lowered onto the floor and into Yamaguchi’s arms.

“Tsukki? Are you okay?” He whispered. Kageyama grumbled something about how the blonde wasn’t left to fall, but the main focus was on Tsukishima, who was unresponsive even as Yamaguchi wiped at the blood under his nose. Tsukishima’s nose bled profusely, and he looked pale, head rested on Yamaguchi’s arm with his limbs sprawled doll-like on the floor.

“Tsukki, answer me. Can you hear me? What’s wrong?” Yamaguchi prodded, starting to panic.

Suga crawled over despite brand new knee ache, and touched Tsukishima’s forehead. He received mixed emotions from him, but before he could comprehend them, the blonde’s eyes rolled backwards and he began to make a choking noise, drawing a yell of fear from Yamaguchi, who began panicked.

“Oh God! What’s wrong with him?” Gasped Asahi.

“Tsukki! Somebody get help, _please_!” Yamaguchi begged, trying to keep Tsukishima’s twitching body still. Suga panicked trying to figure out whether or not he should tilt his head back to keep the blood in, or if that would be bad if Tsukishima was choking. It was nerve-wracking because Tsukishima was still breathing just fine.

Hinata jumped up and waved his arms wildly at the camera. “Hey! Help, we need help in here! He’s freaking out, he might be choking!”

Nishinoya and Tanaka joined him, while Kageyama started to beat on the door, and the elders tended to Tsukishima.

“Hey! Get in here, you assholes!”

“He needs help!”

The teens easily became frantic as they waited for help.

**_‘They need to hurry and get in here!’_ **

**_‘Please be okay, Tsukki, please be okay! Don’t die, please!’_ **

**_‘Come, on, you jackasses!’_ **

**_‘Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die, don’t die!’_ **

Finally after a few moments, the beep sounded, and the nightshift doctors were storming the room, pushing them aside to make room.

**_‘My God, what is it now? It’s always something with these brats!’_ **

**_‘I’m so fucking close to quitting this job.’_ **

**_‘I’ve never seen this before, what in God’s name is happening?’_ **

**_‘Maybe he’ll shoot this one? This is messy.’_ **

Daichi held Yamaguchi back while they tended to the situation, and Suga tried to console him while watching with his own alarm and concern. Even still, he had an idea of why this went wrong. Whatever this was… He silently hoped that they wouldn’t hurt him any further, but considering how valuable they supposedly were, it was a high possibility that he would be okay.

Hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder, he could feel his desperation and his fear, feelings so strong that Suga almost felt overwhelmed at the contact. He tried to calm him, but without that peace present in himself, such a thing was impossible.

The group watched from the side as the adults babbled medical gibberish, the words making no sense to them and only adding to the worry that Tsukishima might not make it. They heard Tsukishima’s noises quiet, and suddenly everything was silent. The doctors weren’t talking, the teens weren’t even breathing, remaining frozen. Tsukishima’s body trembled with shock, and the doctors slowly began to talk to each other again, sounding relieved.

“Is he alright?” Daichi asked lowly, taking a single step forward.

“He’s stabilized, at least. What caused that?” One of the women replied, facing them. No one had an answer, and Yamaguchi wouldn’t say.

Much Later...

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were being studied the entire day after what happened, and Suga didn’t like it. No one did, but he especially didn’t like it because something felt off, probably more off than things had ever felt before. Tsukishima was soon returned, looking tired and worn out, then plopped himself in the corner where he slept. It wasn’t hard to tell that he wanted to sleep. He looked almost deathly tired, and ever after he collapsed on his back, Suga knew he wouldn’t let himself fall asleep. He was waiting just as they were, he could feel that much.

He stood and crossed the room to sit beside Tsukishima, who spared him one glance.

“I’m sure he be back soon. He did something pretty huge last night.” He started, patting his shoulder. “Tsukishima, what happened?”

Tsukishima looked over at him with surprised and conflicted eyes, and Suga grinned shrewdly and tapped his own chest. “I can feel things, remember?”  
Tsukishima didn’t respond, and Suga’s grin returned to kind.

“You went somewhere, I know you did. I worry about you, you know.”

Tsukishima was still silent, and Suga was feeling something else, something that was fuzzy, full of confusion and fear. His own head started to feel hot all of a sudden, and he gasped, hearing a noise in his mind.

**_“I—id—om--ing—bad.”_ **

He looked around the room, looking back when he felt Tsukishima starting to sit up. The blonde sat close to him, gazing into his eyes with unnerving intensity.  
“I think something’s wrong with me.” He whispered, but Suga was too focused on his eyes, two golden brown orbs that looked way deeper than usual.

**_“Yama—eam—went—his head…”_ **

Only now did Suga realize that the voice belonged to Tsukishima.

“Tsukishima, are you in my head?” He asked quite casually. Tsukishima looked troubled now, and started to look around the room. Now Suga was sure that something was definitely wrong. The younger teen seemed alarmed but trying to stay calm, and even confused and perhaps a little out of it.

“Tsukishima?”

Suga touched his shoulder, and suddenly crushing, overwhelming fear rocketed into his chest, so frightening that Suga let go in an instant. He gasped for air a bit, feeling like he couldn’t breathe, before trying Tsukishima again. “Tsukishima, what happened? What is it? Come on, talk to me.”

Tsukishima was now completely sidetracked, and shot up from his spot, instead going to Daichi, who had been watching in alarm.

“Open the door.” He said.

Daichi frowned.

“They’ve reinforced it, I can’t-”

“OPEN THE DOOR, NOW!” Tsukishima screamed, startling everyone into silence. Suga tried to touch his shoulder again, but the blonde pulled away from him so hard that Suga almost lost balance.

“TADASHI NEEDS ME!”

Suga was starting to catch on now; whatever was going on was serious, and was the culprit of the dread he and Tsukishima were feeling

“Daichi, open the door, something’s really wrong here.” Daichi was confused by the commotion, and looked to the camera. Usually they’d get shocked for this type of conversation, but nothing was happening, and that was strange. Tsukishima’s eyes were desperate, Daichi could see, and it even started to scare him. So without any more questions, he got up and went to the door. He squinted, a buzzing noise sounding off in his head as he focused on bending whatever he could. The center of the door started to contort, and while he did this, Tanaka and Nishinoya were nervously looking between him and the camera, while Kageyama and Hinata were stiffly awaiting a shock.

**[The Room]**

Yamaguchi hadn’t known what to expect when he was put in a room by himself. It looked like a smaller version of the nest, only no blankets and…well, no one else. He’d been curled up in the middle of the floor after his telekinetic throwing distance had been measured, but he didn’t understand why he wasn’t just taken back to the nest, where Tsukki was.

His Tsukki, who he could feel at the moment. The odd feelings hadn’t come until after what happened last night, but to him it kind of made sense considering Tsukki somehow got in his head. Even though they’d only been apart for most of the day, he already missed him, despite the fact that it felt like they were together. The feeling was like an odd fuzziness, one that was warm and _alive_ , and it definitely comforted him that he was able to feel that Tsukki was alive. Now it would always be confirmed.

The beep of the door sounded, and it opened. But when he turned around expecting Katsumata, he was met with the face of someone else; a guard man, the one that stood outside the Nest door to make sure they didn’t escape. _‘What’s he doing here? Why isn’t he at the Nest?’_ Yamaguchi thought, watching the man shut the door.

The man wasn’t saying anything, but spared Yamaguchi a dark side glance. The freckled teen felt his heart start to pound when the man didn’t say anything. An indescribable anxiety came over him when he realized that the guard was now locked in here with him. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen anyone in a while, and that being said, this guy certainly was not the first person he wanted to see.

“H-Hello…?” Yamaguchi whispered, but he instantly regretted it when the man stormed toward him too fast and grabbed him tightly by his throat.

“Here’s the deal,” His eyes were dangerous.

“You can try to scream,” Yamaguchi knew what was happening.

“You can try and fight me, but you’re not gonna win, you understand?”

Yamaguchi struggled in his grip, letting out a scream when the man threw him to the floor with insane brute strength.

“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! TSUKKI!” Yamaguchi tried to crawl away, but the man was quickly straddling his legs and grabbing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back.

“ **BE STILL.** ” He commanded, but Yamaguchi was too frantic to obey, still trying to fight.

The man—who he suddenly recalled was often referred to by Katsumata as Shin—slammed his face down into the padded floor, surely giving him a nosebleed, before aggressively flipping him onto his back and grabbed his collar, where he tore the entire front of the shirt off.

“NO! NO, PLEASE, DON’T! TSUKKI, HELP ME!” Yamaguchi bawled, and swung a fist near Shin’s face.

“No one can hear you, W12! So shut the fuck up and stop making this harder for me!”

Shin struck him across the face and Yamaguchi’s blood stained the white floor. Yamaguchi didn’t stop fighting though, not until Shin caught hold of his wrist and squeezed it.

Yamaguchi screamed at the top of his lungs when it cracked twice, bruising on the spot. He tried to pull back, but Shin kept him there, dark eyes scanning him hungrily, definitely enjoying the innocent, sniveling mess they gazed upon. Grabbing the other wrist up in his hand, he used his free one to roughly tug Yamaguchi’s pants down.

Yamaguchi whimpered and sobbed, unable to form anymore words as pangs of agony pounded through his wrist and his face.

“That’s what I thought, now keep your fucking mouth shut.” Shin spat, leaning down and licking long and slow up Yamaguchi’s neck. The teen could feel the man’s bulge against him, and his head became dizzy, his desire to vomit growing.

“Stop…Please…!” He cried, but Shin continued to guide one hand down his body, groping as he please. Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut and he sobbed, trembling under the predator’s touch.

“Let me go, and I won’t tell anyone! I promise I won't say anything, just _please_ don't!” He pleaded, flinching when Shin sucked his neck and groped him over his boxers, _touching_ _him with his_ _filthy, disgusting hands_.

“Stop it!” Yamaguchi raised a knee and kicked, but to his horror, Shin was sliding his hand into his underwear.

“No! I SAID STOP IT!”

The room shook violently, and then so did that part of the building.

“ **I SAID STOP IT!”**

Shin was thrown off of him like a ragdoll and he slammed against the padded wall so hard that his neck snapped completely on impact. Yamaguchi let out a loud, almost inhuman scream of terror, rage, despair, and every other emotion that he’d kept bottled inside himself for the past year.

**[Hallway]**

“Tsukishima, slow down! Tell us what’s going on!” Daichi called, chasing the teen down the hallway.

If there was anything more worrisome than Tsukishima’s panic, it was the lack of people to stop them from roaming the building freely, in fact, it was suspicious as hell. But Daichi had to worry about both, because Tsukishima had stopped at a door and was waiting expectantly for all of them to catch up.

When Daichi broke the door open, though, the sight that awaited them was nauseating. Yamaguchi was in the center of the floor having an asthma attack, a bad one from the looks of the environment.

Tsukishima fell to his knees and pulled him up into his arms and began speaking incoherent, frantic words to try and get him to breathe.

Suga turned away and covered his mouth, and Tanaka’s hands were starting to go metal and become fists the longer he stared. He shoved past the doorway and went to the body of Shin a few feet away. The man was bleeding to death, but they looked at each other.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Tanaka screamed, raising his arm up and bringing it down hard right on Shin’s forehead, caving it in and spurting blood all over him.

“YOU SICK MOTHERFUCKER!” Tanaka didn’t stop until Daichi pulled him off and tried to hold him as he thrashed about(by now Shin's face was nothing but a puddle of broken bones, blood, and flesh.

“KATSUMATA, WHERE ARE YOU?! I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” The metal was spreading now as he finally lost control, and was going under his clothes, under Daichi’s fingertips, and up his neck at a fast pace.

Kageyama’s own eyes were bright with wrath, and he turned to jam his fist into the wall, releasing a guttural, animalistic growl. Everyone vibrated with every emotion possible, and it was bad, getting worse by the second.

Yamaguchi finally took a deep breath and started sobbing at the sight of Tsukki, Asahi, Hinata, and Suga around him. Tsukki hugged him tight and secure, and he weakly wrapped his shaking arms around his neck, loudly wailing into his shoulder. Tsukishima, despite being more enraged and devastated he’d ever been, rocked them back and forth, hushing him.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered and kissed his cheek.“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, and he cried, but at this point he didn’t care who saw.

How could he let this happen? How could he let this happen to his Tadashi?

In the blink of an eye, white coats were entering the room seemingly from nowhere, and grabbing starting to restrain most of the experiments, except for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. Then, almost mockingly, there stood Katsumata in the doorway, eyes bland and unamused.

“Congratulations. You’ve all passed the test.”

Daichi’s eyebrows furrowed and his eyes widened. “...What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......I hate myself. So much. It's about to get so much better for them, because I don't think I can take much of this anymore. It sucked writing this, and I get that I did it, but I can't do it anymore. I guess my subconscious mind loves making people suffer. The good thing is that the story's moving forward now, and I'm making progress with the next chapter.  
> Sorry for the disturbing shit...  
> ~Pie


	9. Chapter 9

"You've passed the test. That's what, W1."

That made Daichi's blood boil. "A test?! What test?! Look at him, what kind of test is this?!" He yelled, forgetting that he could be shocked for doing so.

"I understand that it's quite different than what you're used to. This particular test was for all of you. Testing your restraint, strength, and self-control. One of you needed help, and the rest of you came to aid it. Therefore, you have all passed." Katsumata replied.

Daichi stood completely still, never having felt so much anger in a long time, but Katsumata waved him down.  
"Now, now, don't fret. After all, W12 managed to defend itself, did it not? No real damage was done, and those were my intentions."

That  _grin_... That condescending, ever-mocking grin, that was smug and  _happy,_ was pissing Daichi all the way off, and Suga could tell as he scanned him cautiously. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that Daichi looked like he was about to finally go off the deep end, but he'd like to hope that he did know better.

Yamaguchi still clung to Tsukishima, still hiccoughing, still damaged and terrified. Forever damaged because of this. Because of them.

Daichi spoke again.

" _Are you fucking-"_

"You're lying." That voice belonged to Tsukishima, and all heads turned to him in an instant. Katsumata stopped smiling.

The blonde continued. "You  _knew_ he was here, and you wouldn't fucking stop him! You just let him do this, this was never a test! There never was a test!" He yelled, halfway cradling his shaking boyfriend.

Katsumata looked both confused and intrigued. "And how are  _you_ so sure?"

Tsukishima shot him an icy glare, trying not to haul off and drop Yamaguchi to knock out Katsumata's front teeth(a rage he had never known before).

"Because I can hear you thinking it, you bastard."

Katsumata's grin returned, and he pressed his hands together. "Marvelous," He turned to the other white coats, a few of which had their disconcerted gazes either locked onto the couple on the floor, or the bloody mess that used to be Shin's face.

"Get these three cleaned up and down to testing, and send in the janitors to clean  _this_." He pointed to the mess.

Suddenly Tanaka yanked away from Daichi with ease and threw a punch to an unsuspecting Katsumata, who hadn't even seen him move, he'd been so fast. They hit the floor when they collided, and Daichi went to start trying to pry the teen off.

"ARE WE JUST A GAME TO YOU?! LOOK WHAT YOU FUCKING DID TO HIM! WHAT THE FUCK DID HE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"  
Daichi got him off, struggling to keep him under control until Asahi came to help by grabbing his legs even though it meant getting kicked in the chest. Tanaka then managed one last kick to Katsumata's shoulder.

"TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT HE DID!"

Clearly the metal was starting to overtake more of his skin, starting to cover up his face on one side. But Tanaka was unfazed as he started to yell louder, going on about Yamaguchi.

"Tanaka, that's enough! He wants you to lose it, just let it go!" Daichi tried to calm him, a tricky feat when the metal body was starting to get heavier. Tanaka nearly roared.

"NO! I WON'T LET THIS GO! I'M NEVER GONNA LET THIS GO! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL YOU ALL FOR THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"

One spot on his neck was still exposed, giving a white coat time to uncap a needle and quickly jam it in. One of Tanaka's eyes was glazed over with the same shiny metal that covered the right half of his face, but he was taking shuddering breaths, still trying to fight despite losing all of his strength in a matter of seconds.

"I'll...I'll fucking...I..." He slowly went limp, and his nest mates could only look on in horror at everything they'd just witnessed.

Daichi gave a relieved sigh and Asahi lifted Tanaka's legs again, before following a few of the white coats out to get Tanaka cleaned up. "Let's go. In case you haven't noticed, he's covered in blood." He spat to the adults, who wouldn't look at them.

Tsukishima readjusted himself to lift Yamaguchi with surprising simplicity, and took a second to whisper to him.

"I'm sorry. We're going, it's okay. I'm here. I promise I'm here. I won't let you go." He kissed his tear-streaked cheek once more. Yamaguchi clung to his neck and let himself be carried away behind the others.

Finally, the last of them were led back to the Nest, where rage would tear holes in the padded walls, and rip the camera from its foundation.

**[The Nest]**

Suga was the only one who sat still, holding his helpless form to keep from falling apart.

 _'They really let him. They let him do that because they didn't care._ ' His eyes followed Kageyama, who was pacing after being the one to destroy the camera.

 _'I can't take this anymore,"_ he thought, and curled his wings around himself.

 _'There has to be an end to this. There has to, we can't just keep living like this. It's not right. It's not fair, I can't. I can't do it._ " He was tearful as these thoughts cycled through his head, squeezing his arms so tightly that he could feel the circulation start to cut.

_'We have to get out of here. If we can't find an end to this...'_

He looked to Hinata, who curled up on his left like a baby bird nestled close to its parent.

_'Then we're going to make one.'_

**One Month Later**

In the next month, the wing growth was nearing completion at a shocking rate, and in a few days they would finally be ready to take flight. Time seemed to be moving faster and faster, every day ending quicker than the last, amazing progress being made every hour.

Kageyama hadn't held this gun in his hand since yesterday, however, it didn't faze him anymore, only felt natural to hold the heavy metal and pull the trigger. In fact, he  _wanted_ to. He  _wanted_ to point the gun and shoot every target that popped up.

He didn't sleep too much anymore, but then again, neither was anyone else in the Nest. Nowadays the experiments were on hold and they were being trained in combat and weaponry, and being taught a multitude of new languages. If you asked him, he did better with the weapons.

The same couldn't be said for Hinata, who somehow excelled better at memorizing new words than focusing on a target(the white coats seemed to be trying to link it to his brain's ability to repair his vocal chords as well as other injuries he acquired during tests, and even Kageyama didn't think that made too much sense, but hey, those twats were desperate for improvement wherever they thought it could be found).

 The sound of the gun still rang in his ears, almost pleasant.

"Excellent. Next round!" A male white coat's voice said from the intercom. The metal silhouettes around from the ground one by one, and when the buzzer went off to tell him it was time, Kageyama raised the pistol like he was trained to do, and shot from the left to the right, with 100% accuracy and bizarre speed.

When he was done, every single one had a hole in the center of its face, like it was nothing. One through twelve, obliterated by the bullets. The first time Kageyama had done it, he couldn't explain the absurd pride that coursed through his entire body. He'd felt victorious, and if not for Daichi reminding him not to search for approval, that's exactly what he would be doing, without even realizing it.

Now there was no victory, only...tranquility. He never thought he'd feel at ease with a gun in his hand, not that he ever thought he would even _hold_ a gun.  
He never thought he would feel  _comfortable_.

**[The Nest]**

Things hadn't gotten too much better otherwise. In fact, the white coats were a little  _too_ enthusiastic, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Yamaguchi was beyond shattered, so much so that he didn't speak when spoken to even after being shocked. Eventually, they left him that way, tired of punishing and not getting a reaction.

Anger still surfaced every bathing hour, when everyone couldn't help but look at the scratches on the sides of his neck from being grabbed by Shin. The first bathing hour after the incident, Kageyama punched a hole through the tile wall and later received a shock for doing it.  
No one blamed him, they all hated looking at those damned marks that just wouldn't  _heal_ properly. If only they would disappear, it would be easier to forget instead of constantly being reminded.

That was the only thing Tsukishima wished for anymore as they laid face-to-face, Yamaguchi asleep while he himself was wide awake. The light fixture was still bright but was dimming, and yet he was still unable to close his eyes for more than eight seconds without becoming silently engaged in Daichi and Suga's conversation a few feet away.

It pained him looking at Yamaguchi's sleeping face, so beautiful yet ruined by dark circles and frailness. He used to look so bright, and smiled that smile that made Tsukishima fall for him in the first place(how long had it been since he'd seen it?)

Now where was he? He had to be somewhere underneath the broken shell of what he used to be.

The blonde reached up to gently caress his cheek with his thumb, back and forth over his freckles, those sweet stars that his mother once told him were the kisses of an angel. He rarely thought of her now, and truthfully, he was ashamed of that. He couldn't imagine--or maybe couldn't bear to--her fear when he didn't come home that night, and when she certainly called him and he didn't answer his phone.

How did Yamaguchi's parents take it, he wondered. They clearly never really liked Tsukishima all that much, considering how badly they hated it when they started dating. He wouldn't put them blaming him past them, it wouldn't be far-fetched.  
What did they all think happened? Hell, the thought of abducted-for-experimentation probably never even crossed their minds.

Yamaguchi took a shaky breath in his sleep, before settling down again. Tsukishima's fingers guided up into his hair and to the back of his head, where he gently massaged his scalp.

 _'I'd much rather you be dead than be here, going through this.'_ If only he could say he hated having that thought, but then he'd be lying to himself for sure.

That thought reminded him of the shitfaced reptilian guy who could  _tell_ that Yamaguchi would be attacked. After the incident, he wore a sick shit-eating grin, proof that he knew exactly what had happened, and that his prediction had come true.

If only he hadn't stalked over to their table and spoken, he would still have both of his eyes. Tsukishima could still hear the guy's screams.  
_'Serves you right,'_ the guy had taunted. Oh, and he regretted it. Tsukishima made sure of it when he savagely took him to the ground and stabbed him in the eye with a spork. His blood had been cold running down his pale wrists, and the scent strong when he kept going. It took Daichi, Asahi, and Kageyama to pull him off for the guards to sedate him. He'd spent two days in The Closet for that, but it was worth it.

So, so worth it to teach him a lesson. He'd never crossed them again after that, and frankly, neither did anyone else, having been frightening by the blonde's beast-like enraged growls and his wings outstretched in a threatening manor.

Tsukishima nuzzled closer and rested his lips against Yamaguchi's warm forehead, listening to his dream about the first time they stargazed together back in middle school. He was glad that they weren't separated too often, because Yamaguchi was never able to take it, suffering a panic attack when they were apart for too long--he himself even felt uneasy then, able to feel his panic, which led to being unable to control his own.

Finally, Tsukishima's thoughts were interrupted by Suga's voice.

"Tsukishima, can we talk for a minute?"

To his own surprise, he'd managed to tune out their conversation surprisingly well, but even so, he could still hear their thoughts just as audibly. He turned over and sat up, taking a mental note of their grim, serious expressions.

Daichi started, saying something that Tsukishima recognized as Russian,  _"Listen for freedom."_ (He didn't care too much for learning a new language, especially one as complicated as Russian, but damn if he didn't already speak it fluently)

He was momentarily confused, but the look in Daichi's eyes was serious, all too serious for this to be taken lightly.

**_"Can you hear my thoughts, Tsukishima?"_ **

Tsukishima could.

**_"I can."_ **

**_"Good. What I'm going to say is gonna shock you, but stay calm and don't draw attention no matter what. We're getting out of here."_ **

Tsukishima laid back down as casually as possible and faced away from them again.

**_"I can hear your thoughts, I'm not shocked. How are we going to do this?"_ **

 The elders looked at each other in surprise, and tried to act as natural as they could, hiding the burst of energy and motivation they each felt.

 ** _"We need to learn the layout of the building, or at least a path to a safe exit, which we should be able to figure out without them knowing. Kageyama's control coupled with your telepathy, you two getting your hands on a big enough car or a van that belongs to a night shift white coat, is the first step. Kageyama's already in the loop, so as soon as tonight, do you think you can make that happen during your night test?"_** Explained Daichi.

Tsukishima didn't know what else to think about this plan other than that he'd been waiting a long time for this. And on the perfect night, when he and Kageyama had a night test.

**_"We'll take care of it."_ **

Suga was speaking now.  ** _"Then we won't waste time taking care of the staff. I should be able to lighten their shit personalities for the time being, which'll give us enough leeway to carry out this first part. Then we can figure the rest out. In the end if it all goes to Hell, we'll have the car."_**

_**"We'll be fine, Kou."** _

Tsukishima couldn't even be annoyed at the fact that it wasn't even a full plan.

Because it was a start to getting Tadashi's beautiful face to smile again.

He and Kageyama wouldn't sleep that night, instead silently sitting in the dark, awaiting the beep that would start them on their way to freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Shrimp dick, this one took long, but I hope you enjoyed it! I know I gave Tsukishima an extremely long monologue part, but I wanted to delve into his mind a little bit with all of the events and changes.  
> Hehe, things are getting real good. They're getting close to freedom!  
> I hope you liked this chapter!  
> I like to think Tsukishima would stab someone in the eye to defend Yamaguchi.  
> ~Pie  
> P.S: Anybody else watch She-Ra and the Princess of Power? I love that shit. No? Just me? Anybody?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I've been thinking about a Haikyuu!! Gravity Falls!AU... What do you guys think? I've already started working on it, and I feel pretty good about it. Yes or no?
> 
> Also, HAPPY TENTH CHAPTER!!!

They were getting close now. Just a little longer, and they’d be able to prove that they were worth more than what they were given. Only a few moments ago, Kageyama and Tsukishima had been sitting in silence, when the beep went off and the door opened, spreading light into the dark room. The female white coat hesitated when their eyes, glowing softly, were set on her, almost like two wild animals sizing up a threat. 

They were scanning her as they walked behind her and were tailed by a guard, which she failed to realize. They were listening, watching, feeling out her every move just by the thoughts in her head and her capability of defense.

**_“God, those eyes. Wait, don’t think that, that one can hear what you’re thinking. Still, why are they staring at me like that? It’s so freaky, it’s making me nervous.”_ **

Tsukishima could hear, and it secretly amused him that she was so uneasy just from their stares. Kageyama walked on his left through the narrow hallway, and they kept their pace neatly aligned and a few feet in front of the guard, who vaguely reminded Tsukishima of Shin.

He tried not to think about it.

Instead he was silently conspiring with Kageyama about how they were going to play this out after the test. It was no longer strange to have night tests. With their days consumed with either combat or languages, night was the perfect time for them to get their psych testing done. It would be quiet, and they would be able to focus, just like they needed.

“Tonight’s tests are going to be different. We’ll be testing you in the same room.”

“Why?” Kageyama raised an eyebrow, and she briefly turned her head to glance at him.

“That’s how Katsumata-san wants it done tonight. I can’t tell you any more than that, W10.”

When he didn’t respond, she continued, oblivious to the fact that the two of them were conversing.

“There will be two seats, W11 will be on the left, W10 will be on the right, and…”

But they weren’t listening.

**_“We’re doing this after, right?”_ ** Asked Kageyama.

**_“You’re supposed to know already. Have you been listening at all?”_ **

**_“Shut up, I’m making sure. There something wrong with that?”_ **

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and continued walking. He almost snorted when milk randomly popped up in Kageyama’s head, and refrained from saying anything to avoid a shitty reply that he wasn't in the mood for.

**_“Obviously we’re doing it afterwards. If we did it now, what do you think would happen? If we aren’t careful, our intentions could be figured out in a heartbeat. The Whitecoats may be soulless, but they aren’t idiots. Why do you think we’re talking this way?”_ **

Kageyama almost hummed if not for remembering that there was a guard tailing them, and those guys loved to provoke whoever they could. They walked on in silence, and his mind drifted off back to milk, and then to the white that it was, and how deliciously chilled it was. Cold.

The test had been simple: Focus as they always did, Tsukishima on reading into the minds of 2 younger children at once(little did they know, he could already do so much more), while Kageyama was to attempt manipulation of one, which he seemingly wasn't making too much progress with.  _ Seemingly _ .

Ever since the ability had formed two weeks ago, Kageyama had slowly been getting better at manipulation under their noses. He would hold up a weak front during tests, just able to restrain enough. But behind the Nest door, he was improving his skills, learning how to  _ control _ others. Whether it was making Tanaka gladly slap himself, or forcing Hinata to jump up and down numerous times, he was great at it. Scarily great to his Nest mates, but they wouldn’t tell him that.

The purpose of the test was to gauge their attention span when one of their own was in the room, nothing major or extremely important. In fact, it was over fast, before they knew it, and they had done exceptionally well(perks of not exactly being best friends).

As they left the double doors alongside the three elementary-aged children, Kageyama eyed the smallest one with a silent apology(one that the boy probably didn’t pick up on while he was so dazed), for Kageyama had made him dart around the room in circles until he collapsed. When Kageyama finally let him go, the boy was unsure how he even lost his breath, and proceeded to vomit. That impressed the white coats quite a bit. But Kageyama  _ despised  _ it. Yet he despised  _ them _ even more for forcing him to bring harm to a kid who didn’t even ask to be here.

When they were back in the hallway, he almost forgot that they were about to attack the other two people in the area. Tsukishima side glanced at him.

**_“What’s wrong?”_ **

**_“Nothing.”_ **

**_“You can’t say that and expect me to believe you, you do realize that.”_ **

Kageyama mentally cursed Tsukishima’s ability to read minds, but that didn't faze the blonde, who was used to it by now.

**_“They’re not our priority.”_ **

**_“I know that.”_ **

**_“Then don’t get sidetracked. Leave it to you to be the one that loses focus.”_ **

**_“Not losing anything. Let’s just get this shit done, so you can fuck off.”_ **

Tsukishima knew that he was indeed being plagued by doubts, but luckily that didn’t delay what happened next.

As soon as they rounded the corner where there just happened to be a blind spot elusive to all cameras, Kageyama made a half turn so he was beside the large man, and slammed his entire weight into him, smashing them against the wall and taking them to the ground in a heap of limbs and grunts.

The woman yelped. “Hey, what are you doing? Stop it right now!” She cried out, backing up toward the wall as Tsukishima advanced closer to her. She whimpered and he pressed one hand to the wall beside her head, and covered her mouth with his other. Then, he quickly began to peer into her mind.

“Hey, hurry up, Tsukishima!”

“I’m going as fast as I can, keep him down!”

Over on the floor, Kageyama kept his hands on either side of the man’s head, willing him to stay still on the ground and allow Tsukishima to search the woman’s mind for the information they wanted. He could see her car, a large black SUV--that was probably used to transport abducted youth--in a dark underground parking lot surrounded by other vehicles enclosed in gray walls, and suddenly his view was moving backwards, then around a corner where he could no longer see it, and past many other cars. Then around another corner, and farther back before he was going through a pair of double doors back inside the building. Up a winding stairwell, up too far for his liking, but he’d take what he could get. Through a door at the top and into a long gray corridor with nothing but another door at the opposite end, and finally back into the white Facility, into an empty white hallway with no one in sight. The censors beside each of these doors blinked red, indicating that they needed a key card.

Even as Tsukishima searched her mind, he watched her. Her eyes were teary, body shaking in fear under his touch.

_ ‘She must be new.’ _ he thought.  _ ‘So weak.’ _

Finally his visions were catching up to them, and he could see himself through her eyes.

“Give me your car keys.” He ordered. But she remained still, too afraid to move.

“NOW.” He said coldly, and she hastily searched the pockets of her lab coat for the item.

Behind them, Kageyama grunted as his nose started to bleed, and the man was starting to shake his head and fight his touch.

“I’m losing him, hurry!” He called out, and Tsukishima quickly snatched the keys out of the woman’s hand.

“You should start remembering to leave all of your belongings behind like they told you.” He said, and pressed his hand over her eyes, other hand sliding into her pocket to take her keycard.

“You’re not going to remember this, but we just stole your stuff.”

Just like that, he could make her forget the entire encounter in a second.

“TSUKISHIMA, COME ON!” Kageyama cried out, and the man threw him off, causing him to fall back on his ass, and Tsukishima rushed over to knee the man in the nose, giving a heavy nosebleed to the adult. The man grabbed him by his leg and yanked it out from under him, but Kageyama growled and tackled the man onto his back, covering his face with his wings and shrouding him in darkness.

“You little shits! You’re not gonna make it out of here no matter what you do!” He growled, but he didn’t know where to hit. Once again Kageyama took hold of his mind and willed him to be still even as his headache intensified, enough for Tsukishima to be able to get a hand over his eyes and clear his mind.

The man went limp, and both boys fell off, exhausted and bloody-nosed, heads booming with pain.

“Fuck… Fucking slow-ass…” Huffed Kageyama, and he chuckled a bit.

“Tch. We did it, that’s all that matters. Now let’s get up before they come back. I don't want to do that again.” He forced himself onto his knees and then up onto his feet, and walked over to Kageyama, extending a hand for him to take. Kageyama took it, and he pulled him up. They wiped away their blood and Tsukishima hid his keys in his pants(inwardly cringing at the cold temperature while doing so), and they put on their best confused expressions for when the adults finally came back to reality.

The two were confused, bewildered, and had no idea what to say when they found the teens staring at them. The man hadn’t even realized that his nose was bloody.

Kageyama spoke up. “We’d like to keep going, if that’s alright with you. Or keep sleeping, whatever you want.” The adults looked at each other, and she didn’t register that his nose was bleeding.

“Right, of course.”

The teens continued ahead of them, hands at their sides, and grinning slyly at each other, until they were in camera view and the grins disappeared.

They would act oblivious when she couldn’t find her keycard.

 

**[The Nest]**

The door slammed closed behind Kageyama and Tsukishima, and the rest of the boys remained still as they moved toward their respective sleeping spots. With subtle movements to avoid the camera, Tsukishima slipped the items into Daichi’s hand, and unbeknownst to the blonde, he smiled.

 

**_“Good job, you two.”_ **

 

One Week Later…

**[The Flight Room]**

“See, now just follow me. Up, and then down.” Suga eased, and Yamaguchi followed, air swaying around the room as wings moved about.

Way on the other side of the room, Tsukishima flew, following Daichi, who reminded him to keep his wings straight until he needed to flap. Tanaka followed a little to the right, exclaiming in joy as the wind blew against his face.

“This is freaking amazing! Dude, Noya, you’ve gotta try this!” He laughed, speaking to Nishinoya below, who was getting help from Asahi, and it warmed Daichi’s heart to be able to hear it.

“Alright, now let’s try landing! Nice and easy!”

Yamaguchi watched with wondrous eyes, and Suga smiled at him.

“Do you think you’re ready to try? We can start by going up, and then coming back down, if you want.”

Yamaguchi couldn’t lie, he enjoyed learning to fly, only because Suga was there and it reassured him that this may not be as bad as he thought.

The Whitecoats were sure that it was good to have the experienced flyers with them, so the learning process would be simpler, and that was a good decision on their part, because Yamaguchi couldn’t think of anything better than holding onto Suga and completely unfurling his dark new appendages.

Trying to fly for the first time was definitely not as easy as one would think, but at least the Whitecoats were letting them do their own thing instead of yelling at them for every mistake they made as beginners. Perhaps even  _ they _ understood that they were children who were just learning.

The room they occupied was bigger than the two-mile Running Track altogether, so big that all nine of them could fly around with their wings outstretched and never bump into each other once. From what Yamaguchi could see, it stretched on for about two miles, only much, much wider and miraculously airy, unlike the track, which was compact and warm. The ceiling was painted blue with well-illuminating lights embedded in it all around, and the walls were a lighter blue. The ground, not too soft or too hard, was grass green, pleasant to look at.

Yamaguchi was struggling to keep himself up as height anxiety kicked in, and would have fallen if Suga hadn’t grabbed onto him and carefully lowered them to the ground.

“I-I can’t do it...I can’t…” Yamaguchi whispered with tears in his eyes, and he received a small shock, urging him to cry more as he hyperventilated.

“Why not? What’s the matter?” Asked Suga, helping him stand up straight. Yamaguchi struggled to get his words out, and shook his head.

“You can do it, Yamaguchi, I know you can.”

“B-But what if something goes wrong? What if my wings don’t work right, and I fall, and they shock me for it, o-or what if I fall and I break them?” Yamaguchi replied, trying not succumb to the multitude of emotions starting to crash down on him.

Suddenly Suga moved into to gently cup his cheeks, eyes warm and understanding, yet somehow hurting.

_ “Tadashi, listen to me,”  _ he started quietly. Yamaguchi’s ears tuned into his voice.  _ “ _ I  _ need  _ you to keep trying. You’re doing amazing, and you’ll have it down in no time. All you have to do is let go of those thoughts, and I know it’s scary. It’s  _ so _ scary, and it feels like too much. But you can’t give up.”

Yamaguchi could feel the tranquility of Suga’s touch bleed into himself, and he leaned into his hands. For a while, his inner monologue and Tsukishima’s voice were the only times he ever heard his first name, but he was happy that it would come from Suga of all people. Suga eased him into a hug, and the taller of the two let his forehead rest on his shoulder as he tried to keep calm.

“We’re almost out of here, okay? But if you can’t fly, then we can’t do that. So please, we have to keep going. If not for me, do it for yourself, and if not for yourself, then do it for Tsukishima. We all need to work together to make this happen, because it's our only chance. You’re so strong already, and I know it’s hard for you to see it, but you are. I want you to know that. I  _ believe _ you can do it. All we have to do is try, because when we stop trying, we lose everything we’ve stayed alive for.”

 Yamaguchi was speechless, unable to express how good it felt to hear those words. If he wasn’t positive that they were about to be shocked for slacking, he would stay in that safe hug for a few moments more. Instead, he outstretched his wings once again. Suga smiled at him and started to open his own, which were only an inch or two shorter that Yamaguchi’s 16-foot wingspan(which didn’t surprise anyone much when they thought considered Yamaguchi’s height).

So, Yamaguchi allowed himself to be taught.

For the next four days, they would learn, and improve, honing their fantastic skills for what would be the best thing they ever fought for.

**_*_*_*_**

**[The Nest]**

It was pitch black in the Nest, but with their gifted eyes they could see each other in shades of green. Tsukishima, now strong enough to echo thoughts, kept them connected as they stood, his hand linked with Yamaguchi's to ease both of their anxiety.

Daichi stood with his back to the door, expression hard and determined.

**_"I know we've all worked hard up to this point, and we really are as close as we think. But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods just yet. We need to be quiet,"_ **

Hinata adjusted his squeeze on the blanket under his arm.

**_"We need to be fast, as fast as we can,"_ **

Yamaguchi took a breath and squeezed Tsukishima's hand.

**_"And we need to stay together. If anything, that's the most important. No one gets left behind, not after what we've all been through. Do you understand?"_ **

They nodded in the silent room, hearts beating in unison. They were ready. They had everything: the fluffy blankets that they'd been using for a year, their intelligence which had sky-rocketed in their time here. Those who had their abilities, had them, strong and apt for use. They had their wings, large and full-grown, perfect, functional. They had each other, their family, those whom they'd relied on for an entire year to keep themselves sane.

Daichi turned around and outstretched his arm, palm only two inches away from the door. The reinforcements were nothing to his strength, which easily crumpled the door enough for him to break it off the hinges. Light poured into the room, the same way it did when the door opened normally. Daichi and Tanaka stepped aside for Yamaguchi to step out first. Around the corner, a camera pointed towards them, and he took a breath, concentrating on slowly turning it to face upward.

Suga rubbed at his cold, bare neck, and glanced back at the pile of collars that used to occupy their necks. Now they were all broken in half, and no longer keeping them down. It was time.

Yamaguchi successfully turned the camera, and Daichi started to lead them carefully  beside Tsukishima, who knew the way to where they needed to go. Without the usually busy chatter and traffic of Whitecoats, the halls were barren, opaque walls suddenly larger and more threatening, looming over them in a taunting manner. Most of the hallway travel was a blur to Hinata, who was more focused on the eerie silence.

**_“It’s like a graveyard.”_ ** He said in their echoed minds, and even Tanaka got chills from that thought.

**_“It is a graveyard. More kids died here than anywhere else I’ve ever heard of.”_ ** He replied, hands gray and ready for a fight. He tried to keep them from shaking, but to no avail.

Another camera came up and they stopped, and they recognized the plain hallway from what Tsukishima described. They ducked onto either side of the hallway opening and waited for Yamaguchi to turn the camera away. It was so close, too.   
Then came the alarms.

The lights turned red, and it was so loud that they all crumpled to the ground with their sensitive hearing.

“OH, FUCK! COME ON!” Tanaka yelled over the blaring noise, and everyone helped each other up, before they bolted down the hallways, going faster than they ever had.

“STAY TOGETHER! LET’S GO, LET’S GO, LET’S GO!” Shouted Daichi, leading the group ahead to the door.

Panic set in fast, as the realization that they may be killed for this barged its way into their heads. Daichi reached the door first and smashed the keycard against the censor, allowing Tanaka to throw it open a second later. They quickly waved everyone through just as the last door flew open. Tanaka punched the censor and they pulled the door closed behind them, tailing the group down the narrow gray corridor.

“Don’t stop! Keep going!” Daichi called ahead, throwing the key card to Suga, who caught it with ease and sped up to get to the door. Once it was clear, they busted through that one, the voices of angry adults distant yet loud behind them.

Now came the dimly-lit stairwell, and the most grating part of their escape. Keeping their movements sharp, the group darted down the stairs.

Hinata could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and his feathers started to bristle up with his anxiety, but he tried to shake it, taking a second to do so and leap down about five steps, past Tsukishima and Suga. In doing so, his wings began to spread, and he silently grimaced.  _ ‘Come on, not now! Just stay down!’ _

Above them, a heavy weight slammed against the door, momentarily shocking them all stiff. Another loud,  _ heartstopping _ bang, and a third with a squeak at the end.

Nishinoya gasped. “The door’s about to come loose! Get out the way!” They backed up against the wall just as the door flew off its hinges and started falling right down the empty center of the stairwell, hitting the rails every two seconds. It would have hit Hinata if he wasn’t so small, pressed against the wall like that.

“WHERE ARE YOU?!” A loud, gruff voice snarled, and that was the cue to really start making a break for it. If anyone could run, it was  _ those beasts _ .

A few more sharp turns and they were at the bottom of the stairs and using the keycard again before they pushed through the double doors into a cold, dark parking lot.

“Lead the way, Tsukishima! Don’t stop for anything! Asahi, Tanaka, help me with this!” Daichi sped over to a car and they understood. While they worked to push the car in front of the doors, the sirens echoed in their heads, so much louder down here than back up there.

“This place is way deeper than I thought! It’s like some underground mole shit!” Tanaka commented, grunting as they finally got the car in front of the doors. It was Asahi’s turn to break a censor--not that it helped much when there was a seven-foot superhuman after them, but it at least helped lock the doors.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima’s hand was no longer linked with Yamaguchi’s as he hastily ran ahead in search of the car.

“Right, then left, two rows down, right again…” He recited, clenching the keys so tight in his hand that they shot a hot burn up his wrist. He pressed the unlock button, and the lights went off farther down to his right, about 15 yards away.

“Right on, Tsukishima!” Suga encouraged, a feverish smile on his face.

“Nishinoya-san! Get the doors open!” Tsukishima called, and Nishinoya passed him in a second, running 2x faster than he had been, leaving the others in amazement over how he could easily run faster than the rest of them.

Daichi, Tanaka, and Asahi were almost catching up to them when they could hear the distant banging of the door and the car’s alarm going off.

“Shit! Pick up the pace! We’re almost there!” Daichi said, peeking over his shoulder. Ahead of them, a figure leaped over a car and landed in their path, separating them all from Tsukishima, Suga, and Nishinoya.

Suga stopped and was about to run back.

“We can handle this, just get to the car!” Asahi told him, and Suga pressed on, knowing he was right. In the distance, they could hear the doors being busted open.

“You runts think we didn’t know about this? We see everything! We hear everything, and dammit, we know everything!” He said, and Tanaka cracked his knuckles with oddly metallic clanks.

“Cut the shit! You want us that bad, come and get us, motherfucker!” The lights buzzed and flickered. In a matter of seconds they were cornered by the other beast that was chasing them, and Kageyama, Asahi, and Yamaguchi faced him.

“Guess this ain’t really going how you planned, now is it little birds?”

“Who the fuck are you calling birds?” Kageyama glared. Behind him, the older three were getting ready for a fight, hoping that all of their training paid off. But before they could start, and orange blur zoomed past them and up, and only when the man was collapsing, did they realize that it was Hinata.

The ginger had ran and jumped, jamming his knee against the man’s face, and even though it was a shock, no one was really surprised by how fast he moved. With his wings, he almost did resemble a bird taking flight.

The other three took that moment to attack, while the man grabbed Hinata by the wing and flung him into a nearby car, setting off its alarms.

“Hinata!” The other man kept Yamaguchi from running, raising his gun for an attack. They dodged him and Kageyama managed a hard punch to his ribs that made a loud crack, and Yamaguchi shoved his arms out and the man went  _ flying _ several feet away, and disappeared behind a few rows of cars. With both men successfully disarmed, Kageyama swiped the gun from the floor and grabbed Yamaguchi to keep going for the car.

Two down, hopefully no more to go.

Daichi would make sure to pat them on the back for their teamwork later. But right now, they were reaching the car, and he could swear that the thing was bathed in a halo of holy light.

“Hurry up, get in, get in, get in!” Said Suga from the driver’s seat. The SUV had three rows; Suga and Nishinoya took up the front two, Asahi, Hinata, and Daichi took the second row, leaving Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, and Kageyama in the last row, and Tanaka behind all the seats in the wide empty trunk space.

Tanaka gripped the seat and didn’t take his eyes off the windshield, scanning for any movement as Suga started to back up.

Suddenly the man that Tanaka helped take care of was starting to stand up, face bloodied and eyes predatory and  _ mad _ .

“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Suga, back up!”

“He’s getting up, oh my God!”

“Look at his NOSE!”

Indeed, the creature’s nose was bent awkwardly,  _ painfully,  _ and he roared, charging at them at full speed. Suga floored it, backing them up fast, and he turned the wheel hard, keeping them going back.

Everyone waited in anticipation of the next move, and when the man appeared in front of them again, Suga stomped the gas pedal, and they were hurling toward him, throwing everyone back against their seats and Tanaka down out of sight. They hit the man at full speed and kept going, in the direction where Tsukishima pointed out the garage-like door.

As if on cue, the night shift Whitecoats were just reaching them along with the armored group with guns, whom they remembered from the fight with the reptilians. Only this time, their guns didn't look like they shot  _ rubber _ . Kageyama wanted to be sure of that much, but perhaps it was just his fear setting in.

The adults started to block the way behind them, and Yamaguchi clutched Tsukishima's hand as he started to panic.

"Hold on!" Warned Suga.

The SUV zoomed forward and everyone ducked when the bullets could be heard hitting the car all around.

"To the right!" Tsukishima called out, and they swerved to the right. A bullet shot off the right side-view mirror and glass could be heard shattering as another hit the right tail light. The car was going fast, managing to evade anymore fire for the time being, and after another few turns, the garage door came into view.

Nishinoya snagged the keycard and hopped out before the car stopped moving, and with lightning speed, he opened the garage door and hopped back in. The adults had just appeared behind them, and they sped off in an instant, onto a brown dirt ground.

In the car, the boys were hyperventilating, shaking with excitement, joy, and  _ so  _ much fear that it was unbearable.

"Oh my God, we-" Hinata was cut off when a bright light came on above them, following them and helping to illuminate their surroundings. To be honest, they preferred the dark rather than being followed by a helicopter.

Seconds later, more cars were behind them, striking dread into their hearts.

Suga tried to go faster, but there was only so much he could do. Kageyama got an idea as he clutched the pistol in his hand, and he turned around.

"Open the door," He said to Tanaka, who looked at him like he was crazy.

"Hell no! So they can drag me out the back?"

"Just do it, dammit! Or do you wanna go back?!"

With no other option, Tanaka pulled the handle and pushed the trunk door up, revealing them to the cars behind them.

"Kageyama, what are you doing?" Asked Daichi, but when Kageyama leaned over the seat and held up the gun, it all made sense. Overall, he only had to fire one shot into a tire before the car swerved and crashed into the one behind it. The second car tipped over, leaving its inhabitants trapped.

“Got ‘em!” Kageyama smirked, and Tanaka closed the door again, sparing a punch to the younger boy’s shoulder.

“What do we do about the helicopter? If we can’t shake them, they’re gonna keep following us!” Said Asahi, looking out the window at the surrounding desert landscape, now more visible than he remembered.

“Just stay down! We’ll think of something!” Daichi replied.

Yamaguchi, though terrified, knew that “something” couldn’t wait. “Something” had to be done right now. If there was anyone who could do it at the moment, it was himself. He looked up and forced the sunroof to open, before quickly pulling his hand from his boyfriend’s and standing up after quickly slipping his wings into hiding(which felt foreign after having them out this entire time.

Everyone protested, but he couldn’t hear them over the loud whirring of the helicopter above. Wings tucked back under his skin, he extended a hand, able to feel Tsukishima and Kageyama holding onto his legs to keep him steady.

**“PULL OVER THE VEHICLE AND STEP OUT CALMLY, OR WE WILL BE COMPELLED TO USE FORCE!”** A voice called from the helicopter. Yamaguchi rushed himself to get control of the machine,and it started to rock back and forth in the sky. He felt oddly invigorated while he did this, an indescribable adrenaline shooting down his spine.

All noise began to drain away, and he could hear its engine, loud and momentarily functional. He closed his fist and the vehicle started to pull downward. With a swift sideways throwing motion, the helicopter flipped upside down and started spiraling to the ground at a shocking speed. While amazed by his actions, Yamaguchi ducked back down into the car and slammed the sunroof shut, just as the helicopter crashed into the desert ground in the distance, leaving behind a fiery wreck.

Yamaguchi’s head pounded a bit, but it was nothing compared to his heart, and he lowered his head into his lap to get control of himself. They could no longer hear the engines of fellow vehicles. It was silent.

“Yamaguchi…” Suga started, tears welling up in his eyes. “You did it.”

In a few moments, tears of happiness were being shed all throughout the car, because they were  _ finally free. _

No more needles, no more tracks, or mazes, or simulations, or combat. No more collars and shocks, no more  _ Nest _ , no more cold corner, or uncomfortable sleeping. No more mocking grins, or rubber bullets.

They’d escaped.

They’d  _ survived _ , with no casualties along the way.

Yamaguchi felt two hands on his face and they pulled him up to look to the right, where tears were running down Tsukishima’s cheeks, momentarily shocking the freckled teen. Tsukishima’s expression was one of mixed emotions, but  _ disbelief _ was the most evident. He pulled Yamaguchi in and kissed him, not caring that anyone was watching.

He broke it off but didn’t move away, instead resting their foreheads together and starting to smile.

“You did it, Tadashi. You did that.”

Yamaguchi smiled and cupped his cheeks, squishing the tips of their noses together.   
“I guess I did. I really did.” He laughed, and wrapped his arms around his neck in a hug.

From behind them, Tanaka wrapped his arms around Kageyama and Tsukishima’s shoulders, bringing all three of them in for a long overdue victory hug.

“Yeah, you did! What now, Katsumata?!” He laughed, half-sobbing. “Fuck you! FUCK YOU!” He didn’t even know himself if he was crying or laughing anymore, but the emotion spread to the rest of the group, overpowering any lingering fear for the time being.

Daichi didn’t even wipe his tears as he spoke through a broken smile.

“I’m proud of all of you, you know that? I’m proud of you!” He sniffled, wiping his tears on his wrist. Hinata smiled up at him and leaned in for a hug, which the older male gladly returned, tight and secure. He managed to spare a kiss to Suga’s hand as well, giving him a smile through the rear view mirror.

“TAKE THAT, YOU WHITECOAT BASTARDS! WE BROKE OUT, AND WE’RE NOT COMING BACK! SO YOU CAN KISS MY ASS!” Nishinoya cheered, and Asahi hugged himself while bawling, even though Daichi put a hand on his shoulder in relating comfort.

“Fuck you,” He agreed. “Fuck you all!”

With a full tank of gas, they would drive. They would drive, and drive, and drive.

Because they were free.

For once, even if for a little while, they could forget about that damned Facility.

They could forget about Katsumata.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER, BY THE WAY. IN CASE THAT ENDING IMPLIED THAT.  
> This just might be my favorite chapter yet! Took a while to write, but it was fun doing so.


	11. NOT A CHAPTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter, I'm taking a little bit longer of a break from this story to gather ideas and figure everything out. I've been really busy lately and can barely get time to work on it, but that doesn't mean I'm quitting it! I've been thinking about a few different Haikyuu!! AU ideas that I've had recently, and I want to know what you guys think of this one! 'd love to hear your feedback and whether or not you'd be interested in reading it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give feedback! I'm sorry this isn't a new chapter, but I'm working on it!

HAIKYUU!! GRAVITY FALLS!AU

 

_ Summer break…Nothing but mosquito bites and heat waves so intense you could fry an egg on your lap. Everyone pictures it as this all-fun, “carefree” few months out of school where you get to have water balloon fights and everything a kid can think of, and that’s what it’s supposed to be. Unless you’re me… _

***

The golf cart crashed right through the billboard titled  _ Gravity Falls _ , and the air filled with the screams of the four boys squished into its seats. They toppled off the edge of the cliff and onto the road below, the cart thudding on impact. Behind them, the tall pine trees began to topple to the side one by one with footsteps so heavy they were otherworldly, and Tsukishima struggled to get control of the wheel. Beside him, Hinata turned around to gaze up at the enormous being, his mop of auburn hair blowing in the wind.

“YOU GUYS, IT’S GETTING CLOSER!”

The footsteps nearly made the cart jump from the ground they were so heavy, and Yamaguchi’s head snapped to the right when he started to see the giant’s hand next to the cart, almost about to grab it, about to grab  _ them _ .

“OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! TSUKKI, DRIVE FASTER!” He cried out, leaning hard into Kageyama, who nearly fell out if not for himself grabbing onto the front seat.

“Jesus, can you go any faster in this thing?! You drive like my grandma!” Kageyama yelled out, and Tsukishima flipped his head around with a scowl.

“I’M SORRY, DO YOU WANNA DRIVE?! I FIGURE WE COULD PULL OVER AND SWITCH, MAYBE HAVE A PICNIC BEFORE WE GET BACK ON THE ROAD!”

The hands were closing in, but clamped together just behind them, right before the cart went up a ramp of rocks. The cart flew off and did a full spin before it landed, and Hinata gagged, smacking his hands over his mouth.

***

_ My name is Kei Tsukishima. The shrimp about to throw up his breakfast is Hinata, the one who won’t stop screaming is Yamaguchi, and the one that’s backseat driving is Kageyama. I’m sure you’re wondering why we’re speeding in a golf cart in the woods, away from a creature of unimaginable horror. To be honest, I don’t really know either. _

***

A thick tearing ripped through the summer air as the monster yanked a tree from the ground, revealing its roots. The boys ducked their heads outside to look back, gasping when the tree came hurtling straight at them. To their surprise it went right over them, crashing farther ahead on the road and causing the ground to shake.

“TSUKISHIMA, WATCH OUT!” Yelled Hinata. They were swerving from side to side, screaming their heads off as they were headed right for it. Yamaguchi gripped the front seat tightly, sinking his nails in and ducking his head down so he didn’t fall out.

“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!”

***

_ But I wish the explanation was simple. Let’s back up a bit. _

_ It all began when my parents decided to take a spontaneous vacation. We were keeping Yamaguchi for the summer while his parents went on a three-month-long vacation to Hawaii. Shocking how two people could leave their son with people who were virtually strangers, but that says everything about what kind of people they are. I’m still not sure what it was all about--something with a relative--but before I knew it, we were being sent up North to a sleepy town called Gravity Falls, Oregon despite my protests. Yamaguchi was excited because of the name, since it reminds him of a sci-fi movie, but I wasn’t impressed, especially when we got to my uncle’s cabin in the woods. When we got there, there was a goat on my bed… _

_ Yamaguchi wanted to name it, and I easily figured out that I was the only one alarmed by the sudden shift in our tranquil summer. Then there’s my uncle, Keishin, who’s only 26 and sounds like an old man. He’d completely transformed his house into a tourist attraction, and it was full of weird things that looked like they could haunt the dreams of babies. He called it The Mystery Shack. He started it to make money on the side(of whatever he used to do before), but it somehow turned into a full-time thing. The real mystery was why anyone bothered to show up to a place like this. And you can guess who had to work there. _

_ Us. _

_ We thought the work cycle was just going to keep repeating itself, too. _

 

_ Until one day, one of the worst days of my entire life. _


End file.
